Category Archives: K-12 education

According to the Wake County Schools blog, As of April 9, 2014, more than 600 teachers have left their jobs since the beginning of the school year on July 1, 2013, an increase of 41 percent over the same period last year. Here is some perspective: According to the N.C. Department of Public Instruction, WakeContinue Reading

I am not surprised that the Charlotte Observer editorial staff is attacking the Republican chairs of the North Carolina Educator Effectiveness and Compensation Task Force, Rep. Rob Bryan and Sen. Jerry Tillman. I am also not surprised that the editorial staff dedicated so much ink praising Democratic task force member Rep. Tricia Cotham, a legislatorContinue Reading

Today, Wake County school officials are holding a press conference to discuss ““the alarming increase in mid-year teacher resignations and the dwindling supply of NC-trained teachers who are qualified to fill the empty positions.”  Here are some questions that the media should ask those participating in the press conference: 1. Is this a Wake CountyContinue Reading

Later today, the N.C. General Assembly’s Program Evaluation Division will discuss their new report, “Improved Administrative Program Monitoring by the Department of Public Instruction Can Save Over $19 Million Annually.” The report is noteworthy for those of us in the education policy world, but one figure, in particular, should be of interest to all taxpayers:Continue Reading

Last month, a coalition of seven organizations presented a four-part teacher pay plan to the North Carolina General Assembly’s Educator Effectiveness and Compensation Task Force.  Backers of the plan included the following advocacy organizations: North Carolina Parent Teacher Association Professional Educators of North Carolina North Carolina Association of Educators North Carolina Association of School AdministratorsContinue Reading

Barry Smith reports for Carolina Journal Online on Gov. Pat McCrory’s use of Tax Day to help tout benefits of North Carolina’s recent tax reform package. John Hood’s Daily Journal explains why state legislative leaders are right when they defend North Carolina’s new opportunity scholarship program against legal challenges.

As North Carolina continues to debate the proper response to Common Core public school standards, the latest issue of TIME magazine highlights the ongoing Common Core controversy across the country. The movement started with stomachaches. Every night in the spring of 2012, a third-grader from North Bellmore, N.Y., would sob as he hunched over mathContinue Reading

The arrest of Charlotte Mayor Patrick Cannon on federal corruption charges shocked the Queen City’s political establishment. Rick Henderson discusses the Cannon case in the latest edition of Carolina Journal Radio. Jon Sanders discusses North Carolina’s film tax credits, and you’ll hear highlights from a legislative debate about another targeted state tax incentive: the JobContinue Reading