During the last election campaign, a constant theme of newspapers and political commentators was that voters needed to elect Democratic justices to defend abortion rights. Who says? In State v Slagle, 82 NC 653 and 83 NC 630 (1880), the North Carolina Supreme Court found that abortion was a common-law crime from conception. The judges...
A simple conversation with a neighbor about school options could transform their child’s life.
In 2011, Thom Tillis, Phil Berger, and the Republican leadership in the N.C. General Assembly removed the 100-school school cap included in the 1996 law that authorized the creation of charter schools, which are tuition-free public schools that have more freedom than district-run public schools. Removing the cap, along with providing opportunities for enrollment expansion...
Engaged parents are good for kids, and schools, but not all forms of parental involvement are equal.
Which parenting style leads to the best outcomes for students?
Empowered by new legislation called the Parent Trigger, parents now have the legal muscle to impose reform on persistently dismal schools. Harnessing parent power to effect change isn't a novel concept, but the scope and breadth of reforms permitted under the Parent Trigger surely is.
A positive school culture can play an important role in keeping kids drug-free.
Have American high schools become “marijuana marts” and “pill palaces”? Joseph Califano, chairman of Columbia University’s Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) thinks so.
CAMBRIDGE, MA — The incentives and outcomes generated by public school choice depend to a large degree on parents' choice behavior. There is growing empirical evidence that low-income parents place lower weights on academics when choosing schools. Why?
SEATTLE, WA — This new report refutes some common assumptions about how low-income parents make school-choice decisions, and finds that these parents use the same techniques and tools, and are just as satisfied with their decisions, as wealthier parents.
After a brief hiatus, charter schools are back in the public eye. Our General Assembly is considering legislation to raise the cap of 100 schools, and a new study is refuting some often-cited negative press. Since charter schools debuted on the national stage in 1992, they have generated vigorous debate. Opponents point to research suggesting that charter school students perform less well than their peers in traditional public schools (a conclusion warmly embraced by the education establishment).
