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Republicans denounce task force for chiding parents over school board meetings

The N.C. Task Force for Safer Schools is finalizing a statement chiding parents for strongly voicing their views and at times disrupting recent school board meetings.  The disruptions have come from parents — across the state and nation — concerned about school policies on everything from COVID-19 vaccination and masking to controversial instruction on race...

David N. Bass
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GOP lawmakers fire back after judge sets arbitrary funding deadline in Leandro

Republican budget writers in the General Assembly are bristling after the judge in the long-running Leandro school funding case set an arbitrary deadline of Oct. 18 for lawmakers to fund the court-ordered plan. In a hearing Wednesday, Sept. 8, Superior Court Judge David Lee ordered the legislature to comply or he would explore options to...

David N. Bass
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Poor test scores show the effects of school closures, remote learning on students

Test results in reading, math, and science for the 2020-21 school year show the effects school closures and remote learning have had on public school students in North Carolina. According to data released by the N.C. State Board of Education on Wednesday, Sept. 1, student performance was lower in all content areas and grades and...

David N. Bass
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House, Senate budgets fund components of Leandro, but critics still unhappy

Budgets passed with bipartisan support in both chambers of the General Assembly fund a number of provisions in the ongoing Leandro school funding legal case, but critics still contend the money falls short of the mark. The House version of the budget, passed Aug. 12, contains more than 40 provisions specifically to address Leandro mandates,...

David N. Bass
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Berger says he will combat Critical Race Theory ‘with everything that I have …’

The exclusive teaching of Critical Race Theory in public school classrooms would be outlawed under a bill making its way through the N.C. Senate. On Wednesday, July 14, the Senate Education Committee took up a proposed committee substitute for House Bill 324, a measure that passed the House on May 12 in a 66-48 party-line...

David N. Bass

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Local school leaders balk at controversial social studies standards

At least one local board of education has voted to delay controversial new social studies standards that emphasize race and gender in teaching U.S. history and civics. The Moore County Board of Education voted unanimously June 14 to adopt a resolution, urging the N.C. State Board of Education or lawmakers to delay implementation of the...

David N. Bass
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Truitt: New analysis shows weaknesses in state’s social studies standards

A new report from the Fordham Institute argues that North Carolina’s controversial social studies standards flunk the test on history and civics, ranking worst in the Southeast.  In an interview with Carolina Journal, N.C. Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt emphasized the Fordham report shows the structural weaknesses of the new standards and should throw...

David N. Bass
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Leandro judge, in apparent reversal, tries to compel lawmakers to fund planned requirements

The judge in the ongoing Leandro school funding case has signed an order that attempts to compel the General Assembly to fund the components of the Comprehensive Remedial Plan agreed to by both the defendants and plaintiffs in the case last year. The move by Superior Court Judge David Lee appears to be a reversal...

David N. Bass
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Bill would delay implementation of controversial new social studies standards

A measure fast-tracked through the N.C. House on Wednesday, June 9 would delay implementation of new social studies standards that focus on racism, identity, and discrimination. Under Senate Bill 654, the revised social studies standards would not go into effect until the 2022-23 school year. The standards had drawn criticism from Republicans — including Lt....

David N. Bass
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N.C. charter, magnet schools score high in annual U.S. News rankings

Nine of the top schools in North Carolina are, technically, schools of choice, according to recently released rankings of the best schools in the country. These include magnet and charter schools, institutions in which parents and students choose and apply for admission. The annual U.S. News rankings include data on nearly 24,000 public high schools...

John Trump
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Opportunity Scholarships: Dem cites pricey Raleigh school but neglects complexities

Editor’s note: This story was updated 10 a.m. Tuesday, April 27, to correct an error. A Wake County Democrat spoke out against expanding Opportunity Scholarships and pointed to one private school as a reason. “State dollars should go to public schools,” said Rep. Abe Jones, D-Wake. “Private schools will get their money, believe me. They’ll...

David N. Bass