The House on Monday, April 29, unveiled a $14 billion education budget for fiscal 2019-20. The budget not only includes dollar amounts for various education programs and raises for educators, but also several policy changes.
A new study by N.C. State University highlights positive academic effects of the state’s Opportunity Scholarship program. The study is the first to look at how the program influences student achievement. The General Assembly approved the Opportunity Scholarship program in…
Since National School Choice Week began in 2011, North Carolina has become a leader in expanding educational opportunities. Lt. Gov. Dan Forest said he’s honored to have worked alongside the General Assembly to help provide those opportunities to students. “I believe that every child is uniquely…
BURLINGTON — Lawmakers and education scholars Monday night debated whether the state should sharpen its focus when overseeing tax-funded charter and private schools. When it comes to holding charters schools accountable, one legislator, Rep. Graig Meyer, D-Orange, said education policy experts in other parts of the…
North Carolina’s education system is outdated, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Mark Johnson says. Johnson, a Republican and former member of the Winston Salem/Forsyth County school board, in November ousted incumbent Democratic Superintendent June Atkinson. North Carolina is stuck in the past, and…
Of the 25 members on Gov. Roy Cooper’s Teacher Advisory Committee, not one teaches at a charter school — even though enrollment at charters has surpassed the six-digit mark. The governor issued Executive Order No. 16 last week, establishing the Teacher Advisory Committee.
Support for school choice isn’t going away, although critics say otherwise. While a poll by Education Next on education issues found a drop in public support for charter schools, support for school choice options, such as vouchers for low-income families, stayed the same…
Traditional public schools saw about 5,000 fewer students walk through their doors for the 2016-17 school year. Charter, private, and home schools, on the other hand, all saw increases in the number of students at their campuses. The state Department of Public Instruction reports…
Backers of the state’s Opportunity Scholarship Program for low-income students continue to challenge a report from Duke University claiming the program doesn’t help scholarship recipients learn. A recent white paper from Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina, a nonprofit that backs opportunity scholarships, charter schools and other forms of…
Once clear message from the 2017 budget discussion: School choice remains a priority for the General Assembly. Both the House and Senate have included funding increases for Opportunity Scholarships in their respective budgets, with a few key differences. • The House…
