News

Cooper calls for moratorium on Opportunity Scholarships as demand surges among NC families

Gov. Roy Cooper called for a moratorium on spending on the Opportunity Scholarship Program during a meeting of the State Board of Education on March 7, even as demand for the voucher program more than doubled this year. “Most private schools are not better than our public schools,” said Cooper, a Democrat. “[This] is a...

David N. Bass
News

Record-breaking 72,000 applicants seek Opportunity Scholarships

Nearly 72,000 applications were received for the expanded Opportunity Scholarship program in North Carolina by the close of the priority application window March 1, according to new data from the state government agency that oversees the program. That record-breaking number more than doubles the current number of recipients. Demand was so high in the first...

David N. Bass
Opinion

New school board group sounds alarm on mediocre education putting ‘nation at risk’

Forty-one years ago, under the leadership of President Ronald Reagan, the National Commission on Excellence in Education found “a nation at risk.”  If​ ​an​ ​unfriendly​ ​foreign​ ​power​ ​had​ ​attempted​ ​to​ ​impose​ ​on​ ​America​ ​the mediocre​ ​educational​ ​performance​ ​that​ ​exists​ ​today,​ ​we​ ​might​ ​well​ ​have viewed​ ​it​ ​as​ ​an​ ​act​ ​of​ ​war.​ ​As​ ​it​ ​stands,​ ​we​...

Amy Cooke
Opinion

The right to school choice is also about the right to stay put

Despite signs of progress, the latest test results show that most North Carolina students have yet to regain the ground lost during the pandemic. There are at least three barriers to academic recovery. First is chronic absenteeism. Compared to five years ago, the number of chronically absent students has doubled. Second, there has been a...

Douglas Lee Lauen, David Griffith

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Opinion

Facts over messaging: Listen to voters, they have a lot to say

For more than 20 years, thought leaders, policymakers, and readers have turned to Carolina Journal for the latest news and analysis. We thank you for that trust, and thrive on the daily engagement we have with our readers. Starting in 2024, we are stepping it up with the new Carolina Journal poll. Building on decades...

Donna King
News

NC Opportunity Scholarship site crashes minutes after applications open

Around 12:15am Thursday morning the website where parents can apply for the Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP) crashed as people rushed to apply. OSP became universally open to all North Carolina families after the state legislature passed a bill making all income levels eligible on a sliding scale, with families at the lower income levels being...

CJ Staff
Opinion

An axiom for the ages: Parents decide what’s best for their child, including in education

I have a feeling most people involved in education policy intuitively accept the conclusion that parents should be the final word on what’s best for their child. But I also believe some don’t really understand its implications. You see, if we accept as our guiding principle that final authority rests with parents, then the answer...

Lindalyn Kakadelis
Opinion

Competition makes district schools better

North Carolina has experienced the country’s fifth-fastest rate of growth in private-school enrollment since 2020, according to state data collected by the Associated Press. Our charter schools are booming, as well, with enrollments shooting up at a faster rate than in all but two other states. Last year, the General Assembly changed the chartering process...

John Hood
Opinion

Change for good: The NC Charter School Review Board and the road ahead

What’s in a name? In the case of the newly minted Charter School Review Board, that answer encompasses the entirety of the entity’s new charge and function. Formerly known as the Charter School Advisory Board, or CSAB, this government body has moved from an advisory to a regulatory capacity. It no longer makes recommendations to...

Rhonda Dillingham