A North Carolina Senate committee advanced Sen. Michael Lee's sweeping K-12 bill after amending it to study open enrollment. The same amendment also mandates weekly "released time" for off-campus religious instruction.
Microschools represent an opportunity to redesign education around the needs of today’s learners. And with the public sector now leaning in, the conditions are finally aligning to make that vision sustainable at scale.
A study finds that locking student phones away for the entire school day — a stricter approach than NC's new law — produces sharp reductions in student phone use but few short-term academic or behavioral gains, with benefits that may take years to emerge.
Claude responded: A new state law banning smartphones during instructional time took effect Jan.A new state law banning smartphones during instructional time took effect Jan. 1 in North Carolina, but a Chapel Hill-Carrboro parent group of more than 300 members says the bigger problem is the school-issued Chromebooks kids bring home. Founder Mary Beth Roche and UNC public health professor Karl Johnson argue district policy is moving too slowly and too narrowly, while a new UNC study shows uneven enforcement of the cellphone ban statewide and growing distraction from school-issued devices.
NC middle schoolers are still widely using smartphones in class despite a state law requiring bans, with enforcement uneven and more than a third of students using workarounds to bypass school filters.
Even if they ban devices during instructional hours, the effect of constant screen time outside of class is ruining students' ability to listen, comprehend, focus, retain information, read books at their own grade level.
Many parents worry about how EdTech is fundamentally shifting their role in their children’s education, crowding out family involvement for yet more screen time.
College is a rare chance to struggle, to think critically, and to build the habits that define a career. If we hand that process over to AI, we are not just cheating the system. We are cheating ourselves.
Microschools are not a fad — they’re part of the future. By thinking big about what’s possible in small settings, we can ensure every child in NC has access to the environment where they learn best.
For lawyers, the NC Bar’s ethics guidance has made it extremely clear: If you use AI in legal work, you own the consequences.
AI was once a futuristic concept seen in TV shows, movies, and science fiction novels, but it is now being integrated into everyday life. Students must not only understand the use of it, but also its impact.
