When North Carolina launched its new A-F school grading system in early February, the cacophony of cries that came with it centered on the stigma and inequity inherent in labeling schools with letter grades. High poverty schools whose students are at a disadvantage when it comes to standardized tests received D’s and F’s; wealthier schools [Continue Reading…]
Seventy five of North Carolina’s 115 school districts have submitted teacher compensation proposals to the General Assembly with the hope of participating in a pilot program that would reward highly effective teachers with bonuses. The pilot, “Differentiated Pay for Highly Effective Teachers,” comes at a time when the state is facing what [Continue Reading…]
State assigns low grade to high poverty school that achieves remarkable academic growth At East Garner Elementary School, Principal Kimberly Burton asked her teachers what they really needed to help their students succeed. Their answer? Time. In the face of so many challenges and obstacles – designing new curricula aligned with Common [Continue Reading…]
A look at some states’ experiences with pairing a letter grade with a school When the Department of Public Instruction unveils A-F letter grades for all of North Carolina’s 2,500+ schools on Thursday, it won’t be the first state to try this accountability tool. Back in 2011, Indiana began using A-F school grades [Continue Reading…]
Vouchers. Charter schools. Virtual charter schools. These are some of the leading examples of school choice – a catchy phrase referring to what others call education reform or, more simply put, school privatization –and the movement has most definitely made inroads in North Carolina. Students can now use taxpayer dollars to attend private [Continue Reading…]
Last year, teachers got a big win when a Wake County Superior Court judge struck down part of a 2013 law that would have stripped tenure from educators who had already received it. But Judge Robert H. Hobgood allowed another piece of the law to remain, which prevents probationary teachers who are on [Continue Reading…]
As members of the North Carolina General Assembly make their way back to Raleigh this week for the 2015 legislative session, many have education at the top of their agendas—which is no surprise given that the lion’s share of the state budget is devoted to public schools. After years of frozen salaries, the [Continue Reading…]
A state legislative committee tasked with making recommendations to the General Assembly for how to improve public education in North Carolina issued a modest report on Tuesday, proposing more flexibility for local school districts in implementing third grade reading requirements and taking a hands-off approach, at least for now, in ensuring the viability [Continue Reading…]
[Editor’s note: During the holidays, NC Policy Watch is taking a look back at 2014 by featuring some of our top news stories and commentaries from the past 12 months. We hope you will enjoy them and feel inspired to participate in the state policy debate in 2015.] Last week, lawmakers passed a state [Continue Reading…]
Thousands of North Carolina schoolchildren may be taking their classes through home computers next year, after state lawmakers created a pilot program that will add two online-based schools to the state’s growing portfolio of charter schools. The four-year pilot program outlined in this year’s state budget requires the State Board of Education to [Continue Reading…]
Since our last look at the rampant fraud and abuse of school voucher programs around the country, North Carolina has implemented its own voucher program that provides low-income students with funds to flee the public school system in exchange for a private education. At the same time, however, the new “Opportunity Scholarship [Continue Reading…]
State received 170 applications from students wishing to attend GIA this fall with vouchers A private religious school receiving by far the largest payout from the state’s new school voucher program was in financial trouble during the last school year, pleading for help from the public online to fund its $150,000 shortfall so the school [Continue Reading…]
A North Carolina commission tasked with reviewing and replacing the Common Core State Standards met for the first time on Monday to determine first steps and elect two co-chairs, one being McCrory-appointed IBM executive Andre Peek, who declared himself a supporter of Common Core after the meeting. “I am a supporter of Common Core, and [Continue Reading…]
As teachers at Randleman Elementary School bid farewell to summer, readying their classrooms with supplies and materials that many bought with their own hard-earned cash, Principal Laurie Sypole cited one thing that she couldn’t find among the desks they tidied and the pay stubs they filed away. The missing puzzle piece? The lawmakers who were [Continue Reading…]
In a stunning rebuke to state lawmakers’ efforts to bring school vouchers to North Carolina, state Superior Court Judge Robert Hobgood today found the recently-enacted “Opportunity Scholarship Program” unconstitutional and permanently enjoined disbursement of state funds for that purpose. “The General Assembly fails the children of North Carolina when they are sent with [Continue Reading…]
