It’s school testing season. We’re likely to hear complaints from the political left and right that N.C. public school students spend too much time taking tests. Terry Stoops, John Locke Foundation director of research and education studies, assesses those claims. Stoops explains why an increased focus on school choice would make concerns about testing obsolete. We’ve already seen plenty of election excitement this year in North Carolina. We can expect more as voters head back to the polls for more primaries in June and the November general election. Joe Stewart, executive director of the N.C. FreeEnterprise Foundation, discusses some of the key elections and issues his group is tracking during this hotly contested election year. While judges continue to consider legal challenges of North Carolina’s election maps, the N.C. Coalition for Lobbying and Government Reform continues to push for a new, nonpartisan election redistricting process. Coalition director Jane Pinsky recently highlighted the group’s goals during a news conference outside the federal courthouse in Greensboro. The State Board of Education and the Rules Review Commission continue to fight in court over whether SBOE’s rules are subject to the commission’s review. Commission chairman Garth Dunklin recently updated state lawmakers on the case’s progress. North Carolina officials continue to share concerns about the lack of information flowing from Washington, D.C., about Syrian refugees resettled in this state. Carolina Journal Associate Editor Dan Way reports on the latest developments in this ongoing story.