North Carolina ranks 12th in the nation for how it prepares teachers to teach children to read, a new report shows. It’s a sign the state is finally discarding outdated teaching techniques that hurt child literacy, said Terry Stoops, vice president of research and…
The John Locke Foundation is kicking off National School Choice Week with a talk from Robert Luddy, the creator of several charter and private schools in North Carolina. The event is one of 2,313 celebrations scheduled…
Each week, staff at Carolina Journal looks back at the week in N.C. politics and chooses several interesting, relevant stories you may have missed. Here’s a week in review: New CEO: Amy O. Cooke has joined the John Locke Foundation as its new CEO.
Amy O. Cooke is the new publisher of Carolina Journal. She is also the new CEO for the John Locke Foundation. Cooke for 16 years filled a variety of policy and operations roles at the Independence Institute, a free-market think tank in Colorado…
Earlier this week, Judge David Lee convened a status conference with the plaintiffs and defendants from the ongoing Leandro v. State of North Carolina lawsuit. The case focuses on the state’s constitutional duty to provide “an opportunity for a sound basic education” to…
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with additional comments from Rep. Craig Horn, R-Union. The long-running Leandro case hasn’t led to a constitutional bombshell — as some experts feared — but, after years of waiting, presiding Judge David Lee has finally set the…
A surgeon fighting state restrictions on medical equipment lost a court battle Friday, Jan. 9, when Superior Court Judge Gregory McGuire dismissed his specific complaints and sent his broader constitutional challenge before a three-judge panel. Dr. Gajendra Singh can’t give his patients affordable…
North Carolina’s Republican legislators say they were left out of focus groups for a major education report that could seriously affect future policymaking. On Dec. 10, a 300-page report from research nonprofit WestEd was disclosed to the public. The dense document…
It was a tumultuous year for lawmakers in the General Assembly. Lasting well into October, this ‘long session’ was unusually long compared to years past. As will be the case in the 2020 election cycle, health care dominated the issues discussed during policymaking in this session. Many bills related…
When they unveiled their plans, the room was crammed with hundreds of people —a stunning turnout for their home in rural Appalachia. Juanita Colvard knew many of these people lost someone. Her own best friend died of breast cancer in her 50s. Another woman watched…
