By Dalia Singleton Gary, staff editor With a new Republican majority in the North Carolina General Assembly, legislation has been introduced to lift the 100-school cap and allow for the creation of as many as 50 new charters per year. The proposed legislation contained in Senate Bill 8 could mean a rapid increase in new charters granted in North Carolina and a large increase in urban centers like Raleigh/Durham and Charlotte. What would this mean for NC students?
“You do not curse away the darkness of the night; you illuminate your area by holding up a light.” -Terry Sanford
All in Education Policy
By Dan Behrend, staff editor The school board’s drive to implement a neighborhood schools assignment plan, combined with the tactics, rhetoric, and political affiliations of some of its members, made it one of the more widely discussed topics in national education news (see also, The Colbert Report). To this politically charged and highly scrutinized debate, the Wake Education Partnership and Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce’s proposal offers an alternative that may give both sides of the debate a new route to compromise.
By Maureena Thompson, staff editor With the drawdown of troops in Afghanistan scheduled to begin in July of this year, an important policy consideration will be how to create and promote jobs for our country’s ever-increasing numbers of newly minted veterans. If past wars have taught us anything, it is that our obligation to support members of the armed forces does not end with the war. Veterans face a number of issues upon their return home, and finding a new, sustainable career is one of the most prominent ones. Addressing the problem of how to help these young men and women transition into civilian careers is a vital step in transitioning out of war – but how can we ensure this is done given the poor current state of our economy?
By Joel McFarland, senior editor Although No Child Left Behind reauthorization and budget crises are likely to dominate education policy headlines, newly empowered Republicans may slip in some surprises. At both the national and state levels, Tea Party-inspired conservatives may balk at federally-led efforts to standardize education policy across states. Congress and state legislatures may retreat from education reforms undertaken over the past two years, even relatively noncontroversial measures that once enjoyed bipartisan support.
By Maureena Thompson, staff editor Combating increasing terrorism is of utmost concern in Pakistan. Yet the country’s neglected and suffering educational system is of equal threat to its long-term stability. As reported this month by the New York Times, many public schools purposefully bombed by the Taliban have yet to be rebuilt by the Pakistani government. Replaced by large tents with no air conditioning or running water, classrooms in these poorest of affected regions are lacking in supplies and rife with student frustration.
by Dan Behrend, staff editor Does avoiding potential damage to a school district’s public image outweigh the benefits of bringing national attention to unhealthy school lunches and high rates of childhood obesity? The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) seemed to respond in the affirmative when it recently rejected an offer to become the new focus of Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution.
By Lauren Hungarland, staff editor Can education be a profitable business without sacrificing quality and values? Should the needs of students be sacrificed to meet the needs of shareholders? Hopefully the new regulations set forth this week by the Department of Education will keep companies from taking advantage of students wanting to better themselves through continuing education.
By Dalia Singleton Gary, Ed.M., staff editor Recently, Ralph Jones, Jr. a 16 year old black prodigy from Georgia, chose to enroll at Florida A&M University, a historically black university (HBCU). Among his other choices were Harvard, Yale, and 45 other selective and prestigious universities. Ralph chose Florida A&M for their strong engineering program, full scholarship, family feel, and close proximity to his home. His choice has been highly controversial, but does Ralph’s logic differ from many promising white students who choose historically white institutions for similar reasons?
By Matt Vigeant, staff editor In a world where a college education has become the norm, the newly enhanced GI Bill benefits will aid in educating those who have answered our nation’s call to service, and make them more productive members of society. As past GI Bills have shown, this isn’t only good for veterans; it is good for the economy and America’s prosperity. But above all, this is a proper way for America to say thank you to people who have sacrificed so much. The Post 9/11 GI Bill is a fitting evolution of a public policy that created the prosperity of the 1950’s, and will create prosperity for the next generation of veterans.
By Dan Behrend, staff editor A case that began with the suspension of two students resulted in a legal decision that will impact students across North Carolina and possibly beyond. The decision will have an immediate impact in North Carolina, where school boards will now be required to offer an “important or significant” reason for denying students serving long-term suspensions from access to alternative education. Just as the North Carolina Supreme Court cited education cases from other states in its opinion, the King decision will likely be relied upon by other state courts grappling with cases involving the recognition of a right to education.
By Matt Vigeant, staff editor Since 9/11 and the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, policy makers have faced the issue of what programs to enact for returning veterans. Over my next two posts I will describe the evolution of education benefits under the GI Bill and compare what effects this plan has had on veterans and American society in general.
By Patricia J. Liever, staff editor Following last month’s UN Summit on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), there has been increasing coverage of the impending failure of developed countries to reach their lofty goals by 2015. Critics have suggested amending the goals, replacing them with something a bit more realistically achievable. By suggesting this, critics disregard one of the central purposes of the MDGs: uniting those passionate about development under the banner of ending global poverty.
By Jenny Orgill, staff editor Cram schools known as buxibans are contributing to the widening education gap between the wealthy and the poor in Taiwan. The richer the family, the better the buxiban they can afford. Thus, a rich child attending the same public school as a poor child will have a much better chance to obtain a good university education because of the quantity and quality of "buxi" that his or her parents can afford.
By Dalia Singleton Gary, staff editor Proponents of the DREAM Act have mostly emphasized the potential positive impact on the U.S. economy. Unfortunately, this strategy has largely been unsuccessful because Americans do not see any immediate gain for themselves. At present, there is considerable public momentum behind education reform. Riding the coattails of this movement would likely be a more effective strategy for passing the DREAM Act.
By Alesha Daughtrey This study is a first attempt to quantify attrition rates for participants of the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program and to identify risk factors for attrition. This study finds that Fellows are more likely than other teacher candidates to enter and remain in the classroom. Access to a professional mentor is associated with large and significant reductions in attrition risk for Fellows. Factors such as teaching in a high needs school and teaching in districts geographically proximate to Fellows’ home districts were also associated with a smaller, but significant, decrease in attrition risk. These results suggest mentoring and other instructional supports, as well as attention to placement in first teaching positions, are critical to improving retention of Fellows—particularly in high-needs schools.