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

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Video

The Debrief: Redistricting Maps Become Law, Lawmakers Make Their Move, & A New School Choice Poll

This week on “The Debrief”: * This week’s legislative action focused mostly on redistricting. Votes for new congressional and legislative maps were finalized Wednesday. Since Gov. Roy Cooper has no role in the redistricting process, the maps became law once legislators approved them. * Redistricting may have grabbed the headlines, but lawmakers took some other...

Opinion

Budget achieves big conservative wins

Now that the North Carolina General Assembly has finally passed a state budget for the 2023-25 biennium — and Gov. Roy Cooper has decided not to veto it, allowing it to become law without his signature — conservatives have a great deal to celebrate. The bill achieves major victories for fiscal restraint, tax and regulatory...

John Hood
Opinion

Freedom wins victories in state capitals

Right-of-center politicians, activists, and intellectuals are currently engaged in a vigorous debate about their movement’s present condition and future prospects. Self-styled National Conservatives, for example, argue that the federal government should play a greater role in the economy, using protective tariffs and taxpayer subsidies to aid politically favored industries. By contrast, Freedom Conservatives embrace free...

John Hood
News

Republicans overtake Democrats on trust in public education

For a long time, Democrats have held a large advantage over Republicans amongst voters on the issue of education. However, that appears to have changed. A new poll conducted by Democrats for Education Reform reaffirmed a trend that has been observed in other polls, including one from Carolina Partnership for Education Reform, over the past...

Alex Baltzegar
News

Cooper’s school choice ‘temper tantrum’ draws national criticism

Since Monday, criticism of North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has escalated after his decision to formally declare a state of emergency over an education bill with which he disagrees. Cooper, a longtime opponent of school choice, released a video statement Monday declaring a “State of Emergency.” However, the governor said he would not be filing...

Alex Baltzegar