What’s Wrong with School Choice? Here’s What.
The idea of giving students a choice of where to go school — with public funds — may sound good, but there are problems attached. The following post explains some of them. It was written by David A. Pickler, president of the National School Boards Association and former chairman and now member of Tennessee’s Shelby County Board of Education. Read the entire post here.
Read MoreWhy We Need a Moratorium on the High Stakes of Testing
The president of the American Federation of Teachers, Randi Weingarten, called late last month for a moratorium on the high stakes attached to new Common Core-aligned standardized tests. (You can read about that here.) Here’s a piece in support of that call, written by Jeff Bryant, an Associate Fellow at the Campaign for America’s Future , who happens to reside in North Carolina. Read the entire...
Read MoreA Must-Read: School Safety in NC
Great Schools in Wake is among 50+ organizations in North Carolina and around the country that have endorsed a new issue brief released by youth justice advocates. The brief, School Safety in North Carolina: Realities, Recommendations and Resources debunks common myths driving much of the school safety debate and provides a comprehensive, research-based approach to the issue. The issue brief was submitted to the N.C. Center for Safer Schools, a state program created in March 2013 that is currently seeking public comment on school safety issues. The authors, Barbara Fedders, a UNC law...
Read MoreNo Rich Child Left Behind
Pre-K is a huge difference maker in a world where family income is a strong predictor of children’s success. Early childhood preparedness is critical if we are to surmount the challenges of poverty. In the New York Times, Sean F. Reardon writes, “…much of our public conversation about education is focused on the wrong culprits: we blame failing schools and the behavior of the poor for trends that are really the result of deepening income inequality and the behavior of the rich. We’re also slow to understand what’s happening, I think, because the nature of the problem —...
Read MoreTake Action! School Board Redistricting Bill Passes Senate
On April 22, 2013, the NC Senate passed SB 325 with a 33-17 vote along party lines. The bill now moves to the House for consideration. The bill calls for the following: Seven board members elected by district; two members elected at-large. All will ultimately serve four-year terms, beginning in July (formerly December). All nine seats will be up for election in 2016 Candidates who win seats up for election this year (Districts 1, 2, 7, 9) will serve only a two and one-half-year term. The terms of board members elected in 2011 (Districts 3, 4, 5, 6, 8) will be extended by seven...
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