First off, I hope everyone here in NC is weathering this storm ok, especially our friends at the coast and in the eastern part of the state. Here in Cary, we have wind and rain, but thankfully, power (for now). As we get deeper into election season, there are lots of claims going around about …
Sometimes I struggle with the fact that this is an education-focused blog, because our state (and our country) are facing so many issues that seem inextricably intertwined with educational issues, and to focus strictly on education means telling only part of the story. This is particularly true in the case of the upcoming election, where …
Hey all, The biggest education news in NC this week has been the state’s newest round of test scores and school grades. Here’s one overview. Adrian at Tales of an Educated Debutante has been knocking it out of the park all week. I particularly liked her post on Read to Achieve. Since I can’t seem …
Today, I got an email from my daughter’s band teacher. This year, he said, sheet music for the class will not be provided. Instead, parents have been instructed to print out the music themselves, then collate into a sheet protectors and a binder (parent-provided, of course) for our children to use at school. This is …
Morning, all. Here’s a (slightly belated) look at what’s been happening around the web in education: First, if you read only one thing this week, make it this article from WUNC: http://www.wunc.org/post/what-public-school-finance-officers-want-you-know-about-school-funding. In it, school finance officers describe one of the roots of tension between the school districts and the NCGA, and I suspect, the fundamental …
When I first heard about Class Size Chaos, I went and read the law mandating new, small class sizes. My heart leapt when I read its enforcement provision — in any school system that failed to comply with the new law, the superintendent would lose his or her salary. “Bingo!” I thought. Here was the …
Hey all, Some of the stuff I’ve been reading this week: One of our candidates for Wake County School Board wrote this, on wanting the best for our kids: https://www.facebook.com/notes/heather-scott-for-wake-county-board-of-education-district-1/i-want-them-to-have-the-best-opportunity/2577770145782128/ An interesting piece about some of the false assumptions underlying the push to privatize schools: http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/education_law/2018/08/false-assumptions-about-private-schools-are-driving-public-school-funding-into-a-ditch.html From an NC teacher, some information about the NCGA’s disastrous principal …
I don’t know about you all, but it feels like there are way too many things competing for my attention right now. There’s back-to-school, and PTA is ramping up, and activities to lead and/or haul children to. And, as one helpful soul on Twitter points out every morning, Election Day is fast approaching. With so …
Hi all, and welcome to another education roundup. Here is some of the writing we’ve found interesting this week: The N&O weighed in on the NC Tax Cap amendment and what it would do to schools: https://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/article216408895.html From the Washington Post, a good look at the legacy of Arne Duncan, President Obama’s Secretary of Education: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2018/08/15/arne-duncan-talks-a-good-game/?utm_term=.fbffc103eee4 …
I’m knee-deep in drafting the SoSNC voter guide this week, and one thing that we’re be looking for is legislators who have made statements in support of public education. But of course, all statements aren’t created equal, and today I’d like to talk about one education-related boast in particular that sticks in my craw (if …