Party in NC!

The Republican Party in North Carolina has control over both houses of the General Assembly for the first time since 1896. Add to that a Republican Governor, and now you've got a real clambake! Unfortunately, many of the clams being baked are the students and schools. 


Here's what these fellows have been up to:

• The Excellent Public Schools Act of 2012 (SL 2012-142): this law eliminates "social promotion," meaning that 3rd graders who can't pass the End-of-Grade (EOG) Reading test either have to enroll in "Summer Reading Camp" (we used to call this summer school) or be retained in the 3rd grade. There are some good cause exemptions, but not many. This stupid law flies in the face of years of research showing that HOLDING KIDS BACK DOESN'T WORK!* This law also requires that schools be graded on a scale of A to F based, almost entirely, on students' test scores. There is also the Excellent Public Schools Act of 2013, which is currently making its way through the legislature. It seeks to institute merit pay for teachers (which didn't make it through the 2012 version), would require the State Board of Education to issue performance reports and report cards on schools of education in NC (with "rewards and sanctions"), and would eliminate "career status" (NC's version of tenure) for teachers. NC is a "right-to-work" state, so career status is pretty much the only job protection teachers have.
• HB 146, which passed the House and is currently in the Senate, would require schools to teach students cursive writing and memorization of multiplication tables. This one just makes me laugh.
• HB 162, which passed its first reading in the House, would lengthen the replacement cycle of school buses to once every 250,000 miles. Because safety comes first.
• HB 944, which passed its first reading in the House, would create "opportunity scholarships" for poor students to attend private schools.  In other words, vouchers.
• HB 269, which passed the House and passed its first reading in the Senate, would create special education scholarship grants for students with disabilities to attend private schools.  In other words, vouchers.
• HB 144, which passed its first reading in the House back in February, would grant income tax credits for children who are homeschooled.
• HB 218, which passed its first reading in the House in March, would prohibit "illegal aliens" from attending NC community colleges and universities, even if they paid in cash, I'm assuming.

This legislature has also lifted the cap on charter schools in the state and seeks to create a separate board of education for charter schools, apart from the State Board of Education. 

This is a very hard time to be an advocate for public schools anywhere in the US, but I believe the NC General Assembly is trying to outdo all the other states in displaying its disdain for our work and for the children of the state. People of NC, is this what you want for your children?



*See: 

• http://www.irp.wisc.edu/publications/dps/pdfs/dp116798.pdf
• Peterson, L., & Hughes, J. N. (2011). Differences between retained and promoted children in educational services received prior to and after retention year. Psychology in the Schools, 48, 156-165
• http://www.nasponline.org/about_nasp/positionpapers/whitepaper_graderetentionandsocialpromotion.pdf
• Moser, S. E., West, S. G., & Hughes, J. N. (2012). Trajectories of math and reading achievement in low-achieving children in elementary school: Effects of early and later retention in grade. Journal of Educational Psychology