public schools
School lunches should be free
During the pandemic, the government embarked on a beautiful experiment: expanding public programs to stave off poverty. One critical component was ensuring that public school students had free lunches regardless of family income. During the 2020-2021 school year, 98 percent of all school lunches were free to students. All of a sudden, public schools were allowed to […]
Charter Schools Review Board approves application for Union County charter school
Overturning a previous State Board of Education ruling, the new Charter Schools Review Board on Tuesday approved a charter application for American Leadership Academy Monroe (ALA Monroe) in Union County. The 6-1 vote in favor of the application means the K-8 school will move to the ready-to-open phase to prepare for an August 2024 opening. […]
First Amendment advocates fight growing number of U.S. book bans
WASHINGTON — One of Thomasina Brown’s favorite books is a memoir about a girl who deals with the grief of losing her father and struggles with her sexual identity. Brown, a 16-year-old student at Nixa High School in Nixa, Missouri, said in an interview that she felt a connection with the book, as she grieved […]
Bestselling children’s author Jerry Craft laments book bans ahead of Raleigh visit
Ignoring the advice of literary friends, bestselling children’s author Jerry Craft reads every email, every book review and every social media post about his work. Craft dutifully responds to each. After thousands of such interactions, the award-winning author — he won the prestigious Newberry Medal in 2020 — of the popular graphic novel “New Kid” […]
Start to the new school year sends a message about North Carolina’s future
Blistering summers that go on and on and the discomfort they cause for humans are far from the only (or worst) negative impacts of the global climate emergency. Similarly, when it comes to public education in North Carolina, bringing school facilities up to snuff is just one item on a to-do list that’s as long […]
New Charter School Review Board prepares to flex its authority
A new Charter School Review Board created by Republican lawmakers could soon get a chance to flex its muscle. Established under House Bill 618, the review board assumes many of the oversight responsibilities of the State Board of Education. It has the power to grant, amend, terminate and renew charter applications. The Review Board replaces […]
National Council on Teacher Quality: Increasing teacher diversity requires a sustained commitment
In North Carolina, there’s a 30 percentage point gap between students of color and teachers of color, according to a new report by the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ). Students of color are 55% of the state’s public school enrollment and teachers 25% of teachers identify as people of color. The teacher/student diversity numbers […]
EPA announces $58 million investment in eradicating lead in drinking water
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Monday that it would distribute $58 million in grant funding toward the goal of protecting children from lead in drinking water in U.S. schools and childcare facilities. “During his first year in office, President Biden announced a bold plan to replace every lead pipe in America. Today’s announcement is another […]
Plagued by teacher shortages, some states turn to fast-track credentialing
Faced with alarming teacher shortages, Virginia last month agreed to partner with a for-profit online teacher credentialing company, hoping to get more teachers into classrooms faster and without the higher tuition costs of traditional colleges and universities. While some of the Virginia school board members had qualms about the process, they agreed to give it […]
NC Budget & Tax Center executive director Alexandra Sirota on the legislature’s budget battles
Over the last 12-plus years of Republican rule at the General Assembly, North Carolina’s state fiscal system has been almost completely overhauled. Thanks to a combination of big, repeated, and regressive tax and spending cuts, public investments in core public services and structures like education have fallen dramatically while the taxes paid by wealthy individuals […]