Clarification: After publication, a UNC spokesman contacted Carolina Journal to correct a portion of the Martin Center’s report. The Campus Free Speech Act doesn’t stipulate “institutional neutrality,” but rather states that a “constituent institution may not take action, as an institution, on the public policy controversies of the day in…
There’s a loneliness epidemic among youth today. That’s the growing consensus among researchers, with implications for school culture. One reason: Lonely, depressed kids are more likely to bully or be bullied. Given new evidence of widespread bullying nationwide, this is more relevant than ever. Fortunately, new research also illuminates…
More money and iPads are coming to K-3 classrooms to bolster literacy instruction, but critics question the methods used to improve reading scores. The Department of Public Instruction will make an additional $400 available to all K-3 classrooms for literacy instruction. The department will also send…
North Carolina has a new program to attract teachers. TeachNC officially launched during an Education Cabinet meeting attended by myriad state and education officials. The initiative aims to address critical teaching vacancies by boosting teacher recruitment and retention efforts through a statewide media campaign…
The debate that led to the passage of Senate Bill 290 wasn’t about alcohol. I’ve written and said this many times, as have my colleagues at Carolina Journal and The John Locke Foundation. Certain lawmakers, the Chuck McGradys, Jon Hardisters, and…
The Department of Public Instruction has reaffirmed its decision to award the K-3 reading diagnostic tool to Istation, despite a chorus of criticism from some Democratic lawmakers, educational activists, and the previous contract holder, Amplify. Istation announced the decision July 26 in a late-afternoon news release.
I met Leanne Powell on a searing hot June day in 2016, as I was writing “Still & Barrel.” She popped out of a newer-model Camaro — I can’t remember the color — dressed all in black. She wore a long skirt and a T-shirt…
Twelve charter schools sought approval to open in 2020, although the State Board of Education failed to approve two of them after local district officials and PTA members raised concerns. Board members voted to approve the 10 charter schools during an SBE meeting Thursday, June…
In a world accustomed to skimming and scanning, what promotes deep reading? Paper or screen? Does the medium matter? As schools integrate digital resources and tools broadly into curricula and teaching, such questions need good answers. Fortunately, evidence is accumulating, with big impacts for learning. New …
In 2011, Thom Tillis, Phil Berger, and the Republican leadership in the N.C. General Assembly removed the 100-school school cap included in the 1996 law that authorized the creation of charter schools, which are tuition-free public schools that have more freedom than district-run public schools. Removing the cap, along with…
