Education Next has released its annual survey on American education. The poll of 2,800 respondents included a nationally representative sample of adults. It also included samples of two special populations: public school teachers and adults living in neighborhoods where or more charter schools are located. A brief look at the findings is revealing. Grading the [...]
- Aug31
Florida provides blueprint for boosting minority student achievement
It looks like Wake County is finally getting serious about boosting minority student achievement. This morning’s News & Observer highlights how new data-driven guidelines supported by the new school board majority are helping to boost the percentage of high-performing minority students in gateway math courses. Under the old guidelines – which relied primarily on the judgments [...]
- Aug26
More money for public school jobs?
In an insightful article on Big Government.com Andrew Coulson of the Cato Institute cuts right to the heart of why we shouldn’t be spending another $23 billion to save public school jobs. Over the past forty years, public school employment has risen 10 times faster than enrollment. There are only 9 percent more students today, but nearly [...]
- Aug25
A high school diploma: what does it cost?
What does it cost taxpayers in North Carolina’s largest school districts (i.e, LEAs) to educate a child for 13 years and graduate with a high school diploma? That’s the question I sought to answer in a recent report just released by the Civitas Institute. I think you’ll find the results interesting. Among the ten largest LEAs [...]
- Aug24
Hate that tuition bill? Blame the increase on administration.
If you think American universities are top heavy with administrators you’re not alone. Last week the Arizona- based Goldwater Institute released, Administrative Bloat at American Universities: The Real Reason for High Costs in Higher Education. The report analyzes fifteen years (1993-2007) of employment, enrollment and spending data from 196 of the country’s leading institutions. According [...]
- 1Aug23
Award raises questions
Over the weekend, Gov. Bev Perdue awarded state NAACP president Rev. William Barber the Order of the Long Leaf Pine. It’s interesting that Perdue chose to focus on Barber. Barber has gained most of his notoriety for leading the opposition to the Wake County School Board’s decision to scrap the use of socioeconomic status in [...]
- 1Aug16
Last days for UNC tuition cap?
Should the UNC lift its four-year old tuition cap? That’s the question UNC officials are hoping to decide by the end of the year. When tuition fails to reflect an institution’s real costs, adjustments need to be made. The cap should be lifted not because we favor higher student costs, but because the cap creates an artificial economic system, which is [...]
- Aug13
Saving jobs that haven’t been lost
Interesting how we’re now learning that the $300 million in federal money North Carolina is receiving to save teacher jobs might not be used to save teacher jobs. Why? The massive layoffs many school districts feared haven’t materialized. Officials from the governor’s office spent yesterday trying to figure out how the money could be spent. [...]
- Aug11
The real cost of federal bailouts
Congress is moving ahead with a $26 billion bailout bill that pays for extra Medicaid expenses and protects teacher jobs. According to the Department of Public Instruction, North Carolina would receive about $300 million in grants and protect about 4,800 teaching positions. Of course the money has state law makers and educators salivating. So much so that [...]
- Aug10
Some perspective on NC graduation rates
The release of last week’s state graduation rate report shows North Carolina has been making slow but steady progress on boosting the percentage of students graduating after four years of high schools. For example, in 2006-07 North Carolina’s 4-year graduation rate was 69.5 percent. In 2009-10, that same number had risen to 74.2 percent. It’s [...]
- Aug06
ABC scores and graduation rates: reading the numbers
Yesterday was a big day for those who watch the progress of public education in North Carolina. The Department of Public Instruction released the results of the annual ABC tests and also data on graduation rates. Many education experts were ecstatic with the results. They include an increase in the 4-year graduation rate from 71.8 [...]
- Aug05
Bailouts R’ Us
The latest $26 billion federal bailout package passed yesterday claims it will protect another 4,500 teaching jobs in North Carolina. If you remember, earlier this year Gov. Perdue transferred over $100 million in lottery revenue to protect another 1,700 teacher and other staff positions. So we’re protecting 6,200 school positions that normally would have been [...]
- Aug04
More personnel cuts likely at WCPSS
Those of you wondering where the Wake County School Board might find an additional $2.6 million in budget savings, you might be interested in a piece I wrote in late April about Wake County Office of Central Services(CS). Since April, CS has absorbed nearly $20 million in cuts and the loss of about 70 full-time [...]
- Aug03
Where is the educational diversity?
This morning’s Wake Ed blog raises concerns about the steady drop in Wake County Public Schools market share of the county’s school-age children. According to the article, Wake County’s share shrunk from over 90 percent in the early 90s to approximately 83 percent today. Funny. For all the talk about diversity, it’s amazing how much [...]
- 1Aug02
Big Oil, Big Tobacco & Big Ed?
Education Next has an eye-opening article on the growing influence of teachers unions, especially in political campaigns. How powerful are the unions? According to the Center for Responsive Politics and the National Institute on Money in State Politics: In the 2007-08 election cycle, total spending on state and federal campaigns, political parties, and ballot measures [...]
- Jul28
Race-to-the-Top and its carnage
I think we’re all suppose to be giddy by yesterday’s announcement that North Carolina is a finalist in the scecond round for Federal Race to the Top Funds. I”ve spelled out my reasons why I don’t share in the excitement. However, now I can add another to the list. To improve the state’s chances of qualifying for RttT [...]
- Jul27
Asheville Investigative Journalism Training
Do you often have a hunch that something in your state or local government just isn’t right but you don’t quite know how or where to start investigating? Do you feel strongly about exposing government waste and abuse and believe that citizens deserve greater transparency from government agencies? If you answered yes to these questions, please consider joining us this Friday in Asheville [...]
- Jul14
UNC tuition: still inexpensive but…
It will cost more to attend public colleges in North Carolina this fall. On Tuesday, UNC President Erskine Bowles approved a tuition increase for UNC campuses. Tuition at UNC Chapel Hill and NC State University will increase $750. Tuition at NC Central University will increase $435. Yesterday’s actions were in addition to a system wide [...]
- Jul08
Weighing in on AZ immigration law
On Tuesday the Obama administration filed suit in Phoenix to stop enforcement of Arizona’s new immigration law. Here in North Carolina, county commissioners are hoping their voices are also heard about the new law. County commissioners in New Hanover County will vote next Monday night on a resolution supporting Arizona’s immigration law. Earlier this year,
- Jul07
charter schools dodge a bullet.
Charter schools and their friends can breathe a little easier. At this morning’s Senate Education/Higher Education meeting, Sen. Tony Foriest (D-Alamance) surprisingly pulled HB 856 from the agenda. The bill, which passed the House in May of last year, would raise the charter school cap from 100 to 106. But here’s the rub: the legislation also obliges charter schools [...]