Francis De Luca, president of the John W. Pope Civitas Institute, questions AdvancEd’s committment to academic achievement…for good reason.
In March 2009, Superior Court Judge Howard Manning wrote the chairman of the State Board of Education and stated there was “… irrefutable evidence of a complete breakdown of academics in Halifax County Public Schools.” Manning went on to say “This is academic genocide and must be stopped.” AdvancED has been accrediting public schools in Halifax County since the late 1980s. All the public schools in Halifax County have AdvancED accreditation.
In 2005, Manning threatened to close four low-performing high schools in Charlotte because of low scores for at-risk and low income students. AdvancED accredited three schools closed.
In 2009-2010, 13 schools in North Carolina named low-performing (where fewer than 50 percent of students make expected growth) were accredited through AdvancED.
AdvanceED is threatening to pull the accreditation for Burke County schools for “board actions.” Burke schools are above average in just about every academic category measured.
The original role of accreditation was to provide accountability. This function, perhaps needed in the early 20th century, is obsolete. Indeed, the Department of Public Instruction serves as an accreditation body in NC. ?Testing and school choice provide accountability in ways that are superior to any AdvancEd review.
