Hi all, and welcome to our first weekly education roundup! This is the place where we point you towards interesting, illuminating and just plain important writing on education, in NC and around the country.

First up, Stu Egan, an educator and writer, posted this great rundown of the misleading education claims you’ll hear during this election season: https://caffeinatedrage.com/2018/08/09/debunking-13-common-electioneering-claims-made-by-current-politicians-concerning-ncs-public-schools/

NC Policy Watch did a dive into the NC Budget, measuring how well we’re doing at investing in critical state needs, including education.  The whole report is worth a read:  http://pulse.ncpolicywatch.org/2018/08/09/report-north-carolinas-latest-state-budget-fails-to-effectively-address-n-c-s-existing-and-emerging-needs/

And this, via Valerie Strauss at the Washington Post, is a lovely testament to the power of teachers “seeing” their students:  https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2018/08/06/a-powerfully-humane-element-of-teaching/?utm_term=.19deb3745037

Finally, I want to add an older, but very valuable, report on some of the NCGA’s major education initiatives over the last several years, and why some that seemed like good ideas in other states haven’t worked here:   http://www.ncjustice.org/sites/default/files/UNRAVELING%20-%207%20Years%20of%20Bad%20Policies–ED%20LAW.pdf