equity
General Assembly asking for info on DEI at UNC campuses as GOP targets diversity efforts
This week the N.C. General Assembly’s Joint Legislative Commission on Government Operations requested documents related to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) training programs through the UNC System and all of its 17 campuses. The request, according to a Tuesday letter from Derrick Welch, director of Senate Majority Staff Government Operations, is part of the […]
It was America’s ‘forgotten war,’ but we can’t forget the girls and women of Afghanistan
It’s been just over a week since the last U.S. troops flew out of the Kabul airport in Afghanistan, ending our 20-year war with the Taliban. It was the longest war in U.S. history — some called it “America’s forgotten war” — but the 24-hour news cycle has already turned its attention to other stories...
State Board of Ed embraces equity, vows to tackle racial disparities in new five-year plan
Before the State Board of Education approved its new five-year strategic plan, SBE member James E. Ford was asked to clarify the meaning of the word "equity," which is a reoccurring theme throughout the document. That proved easy work for Ford, who co-chaired the SBE Strategic Planning Committee. He’s also a professional consultant on issues of equity in education who just released a major report on the subject.
State and local tax policies can advance or block racial equity. How is N.C. doing?
In a major report released today by the Center on Budget & Policy Priorities, researchers present a review of tax policy choices that have historically blocked opportunities for people of color and the ongoing challenge of assuming that tax policy is “race-neutral.” The findings are particularly important for North Carolina. Our state gets a mention […]
UNC-Charlotte, UCLA Report: Charter schools driving segregation in Charlotte
A charter boom in the Charlotte area is spurring segregation in the city’s public school system, a new report from researchers at UNC-Charlotte and UCLA finds. The report, released Tuesday by UCLA’s Civil Rights Project and professors from several UNC-Charlotte departments, concludes that rapid growth in the charter sector is having a deleterious effect on […]
Do our choices match our values, as a state and as a nation? A July 4 rumination
Our country was born 241 years ago, when our Founding Fathers adopted the Declaration of Independence. The story that we tell ourselves, of our birth and who we are as a country, has been a continuous thread since then – the story of the American Dream. We tell ourselves that, in our country, there is […]
#NCTaxReform Blog Series: Seizing the Opportunity
Written by Cedric Johnson, Policy Analyst, NC Budget and Tax Center North Carolina policymakers have pledged to make revenue modernization a legislative priority in 2013. The policy decisions that they make – and the principles that guide them – will be the foundation for how we collectively pool our resources to educate our children, protect […]
New BTC Brief: Transit plans should consider where low-income North Carolinians live and work
Durham and Orange county residents are one step closer to accessing more affordable-transportation options. Each of the counties’ Board of Commissioners recently selected April 1, 2013 as the date to begin collecting the half-cent sales tax to support public transit investments. Expanded bus services and new commuter and light rail have the potential of expanding […]
When it comes to income inequality, study finds we are fooling ourselves
In this space yesterday, I provided an overview of how widespread income inequality is in North Carolina. As a brief reminder, North Carolina households in the top fifth hold more income than all of the remaining households combined in the state. Although income inequality hit a modern high last month in the United States, a […]