Education Matters

The NC General Assembly may have stripped the North Carolina State Board of Education of much of its power, but a new chairman and several new Board Members appointed by Governor Roy Cooper are charting their own path and priorities for education in our state. This week we talk to the new chairman and two of the newest Board members about where they are focusing their attention. Guests: • Eric C....

North Carolinians began casting ballots on October 17th at early-voting sites across the state and Election Day is next week. This year’s election in North Carolina is being called a “blue-moon” election because it’s a rare cycle when there’s no statewide race for Governor or the U.S. Senate on the ballot. But every seat in the General Assembly is on the ballot, as well as a Supreme Court seat and...

Carver Heights Elementary School in Wayne County has been picked by the Innovative School District to become the 2nd NC school to be taken over by the state-run program created by the General Assembly in 2016. That takeover will not happen if district leadership and many in the Goldsboro school’s community have their way. This week we talk to Wayne County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Michael...

Our guest this week is best-selling author Richard Rothstein. He’s a Senior Fellow at the Haas Institute at the University of California at Berkeley School of Law and a Distinguished Fellow of the Economic Policy Institute. His research focuses primarily on the history of segregation in the United States in education and housing. In his latest book, “The Color of Law”, he tackles what he says is t...

“America To Me” is a new documentary series currently airing on the Starz cable network that was screened this week at events in Durham and Charlotte. Directed by the award-winning director of “Hoop Dreams” Steve James, the series follows a diverse group of students at a suburban Chicago high school as they navigate issues of race and life. One of the student stars of the series, Tiara Oliphant, j...

Nikole Hannah-Jones is one of the country’s most respected and influential voices on issues of race and education. She was named a 2017 MacArthur Genius Grant Fellow (one of only 24 people chosen globally) for “reshaping national conversations around education reform” and for her reporting on racial resegregation in our schools. She’s won a Peabody, a Polk and in 2017 a National Magazine Award for...

In 1997, the NC Supreme Court held unanimously in the landmark Leandro case that North Carolina public school students are entitled under the state constitution to the “opportunity to receive a sound basic education” and therefore the state’s responsibility to provide it. In November 2017, more than 20 years after the initial ruling, Governor Roy Cooper formed the Governor’s Commission on Access t...

Mark Johnson was elected nearly two years ago as State Superintendent of Public Instruction. For much of his tenure he was engaged in a power struggle with the State Board of Education over who’s in charge of public education. Now that the NC Supreme Court has sided with Johnson and the General Assembly, he’s moved quickly to restructure the Department, creating new leadership positions, replacing...

This week 1.4 million North Carolina children returned to class for the start of a new school year. The new year begins just a little over three months after an estimated 20,000 teachers marched in Raleigh asking the General Assembly for more support for public education. This week we talk to the president of the NC Association of Educators, the group that organized the march, on what was accompli...

Employers across the U.S. and here in North Carolina report they have more jobs available than the number of qualified applicants to fill them. Work-based learning opportunities have been expanding here for both students and educators to give them greater exposure to the rapidly changing workplace. This week we explore some promising efforts to help close the skills gap by linking business and edu...

It’s every parent’s worst nightmare. Losing a child for any reason is devastating, but when it’s suicide, family and friends are not only grieving the unexpected loss, they often find themselves confused and guilt-ridden wondering why they were unable to prevent it. In North Carolina, suicide is the second leading cause of death for youth between the ages of 10 and 17 — and the numbers are rising....

Carroll Middle School in Raleigh is scrapping letter grades for a new approach that is gaining traction nationally known as competency based learning and grading. We talk to the school’s principal Elizabeth MacWilliams on why they are making the switch. We also meet the 2018 Burroughs Wellcome Fund NC Teacher of the Year with an unforgettable name, Freebird McKinney of Alamance County. Guests: Eli...

The phrase "fake news" was declared the official Collins Dictionary Word of the Year for 2017. Nearly 1 in 4 Americans visited a fake news site in the month leading up to the 2016 presidential election. With technology and social media becoming nearly a ubiquitous part of our children’s lives, what do parents and educators need to know to help students navigate this new media landscape? Also on th...

Cathy Moore was named Superintendent of Wake County Public Schools in May. It’s the largest school system in the state and the 15th largest in the country. She is the first woman and first Hispanic to hold the district’s top job and we talk to her on this week’s show. We also take a look at a new partnership in Johnston County aimed at recruiting more home-grown teachers. Guests: • Cathy Moore, Su...

The General Assembly just wrapped up its short session for 2018 with a return date of November 27th after the fall election. This week we take a look at what happened in the short session in terms of education by talking to some key stakeholders. We’ll get their take on the hits and misses and what it all might mean for education in North Carolina. Guests: • Justin Parmenter, 7th Grade Teacher, Ch...

Education has been a mainstay in the headlines in recent years here in North Carolina. This week we talk to one of the education newsmakers, Judge Bob Orr. He’s a former NC Supreme Court Justice who recently represented the State Board of Education in its lawsuit over a law passed by the General Assembly shifting much of the Board’s powers to State Superintendent Mark Johnson. We also talk to two...

The General Assembly is considering a Constitutional amendment to permanently cap income tax rates in North Carolina. If approved, it would appear on the November ballot along with other Constitutional amendments being proposed this week. With education making up more than half of the state budget, what impact could this amendment have on the state’s ability to fund public schools, community colle...

Two new reports are out exploring our state’s Opportunity Scholarship or private school voucher program. One study looks at the academic achievement of students who left public schools to attend private schools using state-funded vouchers. The other examines the type of curriculum being used by the private voucher schools. We talk to the authors of both studies on this week’s show. Guests: • Dr. T...

North Carolina public schools have about $8 billion dollars in construction, renovation and repair needs. Cracked walls, outdated inefficient heating and cooling systems and school grounds that look like trailer parks due to the number of mobile classroom units are all too common. And now new school building requirements are being proposed to enhance school security. Will the General Assembly put...

Last year the average pay for a principal in North Carolina ranked 50th nationally. The General Assembly responded with new investments and a new plan for how principals are paid. That plan has drawn a lot of criticism because, if unchanged, it will result in big pay cuts for experienced principals and perhaps a disincentive for talented principals to help turn around struggling schools. This week...

A new commission created last year – My Future NC – wants to develop a broad-based education agenda for North Carolina aimed at making the state more competitive. The cross sector group representing business, education, government, nonprofits and philanthropy plans to craft key goals for the state, along with policy proposals on how to achieve them. This week we’re joined by one of the My Future N...

A legislative task force created by the General Assembly in 2017 is considering overhauling the way North Carolina funds public schools. This week we talk with the co-chairs of that task force, Senator Michael Lee from New Hanover County and Representative Craig Horn from Union County. We’ll discuss what they’ve learned so far and what’s next. Guests: • Sen. Michael Lee (R-New Hanover) • Rep. Crai...

The General Assembly is exploring breaking up the state’s largest school districts. At the same time a bill introduced last year would allow two communities outside Charlotte to create a system of separate public charter schools for their residents. This week we explore what’s next and the possible impact on school districts, students and the state. Guests: • Monika Johnson-Hostler, Chair, Wake Co...

One is a brand new partnership between our state university teacher prep programs and K-12 public schools, while the other started in 1980 in Durham, but is now expanding to Western NC. This week we explore NC Lab Schools and the NC School of Science & Mathematics. Guests: • Dr. Todd Roberts, Chancellor, NC School of Science & Mathematics • Dr. Melissa Thibault, Vice Chancellor for Distance Educat...

Black students are being suspended at rates three to four times higher than other students in school districts across North Carolina. Why is this happening and what can be done to address it? Guests: • Keith Sutton, Wake County Board of Education • Dr. Keisha Bentley-Edwards, Samuel D. Cook Center on Social Equity, Duke University