Welcome

I have had two important questions on my mind.

  1. Where does the next president of the University of North Carolina, Thomas W. Ross, stand on reforming schools of education?
  2. Which college football team — Carolina, State, or Duke– will have the best record this year?

Bulletin Board

  • The E.A. Morris Fellowship for Emerging Leaders is now accepting applications for the 2010-2011 class. Applicants must be between the ages of 25 and 40, reside in North Carolina, and commit to a yearlong program of activities designed to examine, develop, and enhance their leadership skills. There is no cost to individuals accepted into the program. For additional information, please visit the E.A. Morris website.
  • The North Carolina chapter of Americans for Prosperity is the state’s premier grassroots organization dedicated to advancing the principles of economic freedom.
  • The Foundation for Ethics in Public Service seeks to bring transparency, accountability, and integrity to government. To report public corruption or learn more about ethics in government, see http://www.reportpubliccorruption.org.
  • Having trouble finding last night’s N.C. Education Lottery results? WRAL.com is the place where real gamblers go!

Are you kidding me?

A recent editorial from the Wilmington Star News reflects the media’s perpetual contempt for public charter schools. Playing the "anything you can do, I can do better" game, editors claim, "There’s no reason some of the more successful charter-school initiatives can’t be implemented on a school-by-school basis."

Actually, there are plenty of reasons why district schools cannot and will not replicate charter school initiatives. State, local, and federal education leaders refuse to loosen the grip of the rules and regulations they wrote and/or enforce for district schools under their watch. Charter schools are exempt from many of these rules. That is one reason why many of these schools are successful. More importantly, it would also require them to admit that the charter school movement has done some good. How, then, would the legislature be able to justify its 100-school cap on charters?

Facts and Stats

According to the Annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools, "Grades assigned to President Obama for his performance in support of public schools are down by 11% since last year, and they’re down whether the respondent was a Democrat, Republican, or an independent."

Mailbag

I would like to invite all readers to submit announcements, as well as their personal insights, anecdotes, concerns, and observations about the state of education in North Carolina. I will publish selected submissions in future editions of the newsletter. Anonymity will be honored. For additional information or to send a submission, email Terry.

Education Acronym of the Week

ALP — Alternative Learning Program

Physiology Acronym of the Week

ALP — Alkaline phosphatase

Quote of the Week

"A sound mind in a sound body" is a short but full description of a happy state in this world; he that has these two has little more to wish for; and he that wants either of them will be but little better for anything else. Men’s happiness or misery is most part of their own making. He whose mind directs not wisely will never take the right way, and he whose body is feeble will never be able to advance in it.
– John Locke, "Some Thoughts Concerning Education"