Among many in the Democratic Party, attacking the rich is back in style. Some popular Democrats contend that large concentrations of wealth are, at best, unseemly and, at worst, absolutely immoral. From newly elected Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to possible presidential candidates, including Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders and New…
It’s time to wake up, North Carolina. Enough is truly enough. In truth, it’s well past time lawmakers take substantive steps toward rewriting or eliminating much of the arcane laws governing alcohol, painfully documented in N.C. General Statute 18b. It runs nearly 150…
State education leaders are promoting career paths that don’t involve attending four-year universities. State Superintendent Mark Johnson and N.C. Community College System President Peter Hans announced February Career Pathways Month. In a news conference Monday, Feb. 4, Johnson and Hans spoke about the importance of…
Victor Clifton has a full scholarship to Duke University. He credited his school, Henderson Collegiate High School, with helping make this possible. “After all my years at Henderson Collegiate, I finally and truly understand the value of the school,” Clifton said. Clifton…
It’s safe to say the 2019 legislative session will see clashes between Democratic and Republican lawmakers, and a few of these will probably revolve around education and school choice. Although school choice isn’t entirely a partisan issue, the parties tend to disagree on how best…
Throughout my career in journalism, I’ve tried to make it a point to learn something from all each of my editors, even those I often questioned, or even disliked. One such editor, who falls into that latter category, sometimes made points that were both salient…
Teachers and parents, we have a trust problem. Just 36 percent of public school teachers express “complete” or “a lot of” trust in parents, EdChoice’s new “Schooling in America Survey” says. What’s eroding trust? One likely culprit: Parental expectations are sky-high. Harried millennial parents want schools to teach skills once considered part…
The timeline for identifying and selecting a school to be included in the Innovative School District is too short, the vice chair of the State Board of Education said Wednesday, Dec. 5. Members of the state education board during a meeting asked ISD representatives about…
Call it high-grade high school. When it comes to letter-grade earning power, high-schoolers are rich indeed. Grade inflation is real and it’s inequitable, padding the GPAs of wealthier students faster than others. Such are the findings of a Fordham Institute study that tracked grades in North Carolina public schools for over…
I don’t write much about what happens inside of the classroom simply because there is so little information about it. Content standards adopted by the N.C. Department of Public Instruction outline the sequence, topics, and learning goals for each grade and subject. Curricula and instructional decisions are made on…
