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Chapel Hill-Carrboro parent group pushes back on classroom tech as state tightens rules

Claude responded: A new state law banning smartphones during instructional time took effect Jan.A new state law banning smartphones during instructional time took effect Jan. 1 in North Carolina, but a Chapel Hill-Carrboro parent group of more than 300 members says the bigger problem is the school-issued Chromebooks kids bring home. Founder Mary Beth Roche and UNC public health professor Karl Johnson argue district policy is moving too slowly and too narrowly, while a new UNC study shows uneven enforcement of the cellphone ban statewide and growing distraction from school-issued devices.

David N. Bass
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NC schools commission begins work amid lagging proficiency

NCs new Blue Ribbon Commission on Public Education held its first meeting on April 27. Gov. Josh Stein and state officials touted "historic milestones" in public schools — including a record graduation rate — even as data showed roughly 45% of students aren't proficient in reading and math.

David N. Bass
News

Critics: Green’s new education pillars lack academics focus

North Carolina education policy critics say Superintendent Mo Green's new "Achieving Educational Excellence" strategic plan pays too little attention to whether students are actually learning, with its eight guiding pillars largely silent on the core test score benchmarks that measure grade-level proficiency in reading and math. The critique comes as state and national data show NC students still lagging behind pre-COVID academic levels.

David N. Bass
News

Stein’s budget would kick roughly 60,000 students off Opportunity Scholarships

Gov. Josh Stein's recommended state budget would phase out North Carolina's Opportunity Scholarship Program by halting new awards and imposing an income cap of roughly $90,000 for a family of four. That would strip scholarships from an estimated 60,000 of the program's 106,789 current recipients.

David N. Bass

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