As the question about class size requirements in grades K-3 lingers, the Wake County Public School System is preparing to add about 460 new elementary classroom teaching positions. How the school system reaches that number is possible through several different scenarios, according to Superintendent James Merrill. He presented multiple options to restructure the school system […]
WCPSS Considers Its Class Size Reduction Options Read More »
What, really, is the point of a school performance report? This is the question that hasn’t been answered in the discussion about school accountability. Is it to measure the teaching quality so parents know if their child’s school is really a good school? Or is it a self-assessment measure for schools to look at their
Finding the Right Formula for A Useful School Performance Report Read More »
Wake County Public School System is one of the lucky ones when it comes to absorbing the impact of the General Assembly’s action on reduced class size in grades K-3, but it is going to cost the taxpayers more. Superintendent Jim Merrill told the Wake County School Board that his budget request includes an additional
Reduced class size adds $13 million to $56.6 million WCPSS budget increase request Read More »
It’s official. No one can agree on the best time to start the school year. A recent report from the NC General Assembly’s Program Evaluation Division (PED) found that certain start dates are favored more than others, but none poll at a rate high enough to say with certainty that one is the best. Different
Local Control is Right for School Calendar Law Read More »
The NC Teaching Fellows are back, sort of. Leaders in the House and Senate released a plan on March 9 to offer forgivable loans to college students who become STEM or special education teachers. The plan revives a successful program that the General Assembly ended a few years ago. The fellows would be eligible for
Teaching Fellows Revival Proposed for STEM, Special Ed. Read More »
The conventional wisdom on K-3 class size is that smaller is better. That was the thinking used when the General Assembly passed its budget last year with a section that limited class sizes for grades K-3 starting with the 2017-18 school year. But like any conventional wisdom, there’s caveats and unintended consequences. Despite the criticism
By Rob Buhler | Chairman, MMI Public Relations In 2016, numerous significant incidents occurred in North Carolina that vied for media’s attention. Perhaps one of the most important issues that should be on the mind of North Carolinians, which isn’t receiving its deserved awareness from the media, is the state of our educational system.
Meet the Investors: MMI Public Relations Read More »
The North Carolina School Report Cards program was broken from the start, and now the state has a chance to change it for the better. The question is: Who’s going to do it? The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) is drafting a plan to measure student outcomes under new federal regulations which do not match
NC Needs to Adopt a Unified, Comprehensive School Accountability Standard Read More »
As the North Carolina General Assembly opens its long session on January 25, WakeEd Partnership has released its Public Policy Agenda (PDF) with an emphasis on teacher talent management, improving school accountability measures, and ensuring student equity for all. The document is organized under three main topics: Properly Value the Teaching Profession, Align Academic Standards
WakeEd’s Public Policy Agenda Focus: Teachers, Standards, Students Read More »
The results from an international test of 15-year-olds show that North Carolina students are competitive with worldwide peers in reading and science, but lag significantly in mathematics. Administered every three years, the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a worldwide benchmark of national education systems. In the 2015 test, students from North Carolina, Massachusetts,
PISA Results: NC Schools Perform Well, But Show Plenty of Room to Grow Read More »
