State Senate leader Phil Berger’s announcement this week of an education plan featuring teacher merit pay, the elimination of tenure, and other sweeping changes attracted widespread media attention. An Associated Press article on Berger’s proposals included analysis from John Locke Foundation Director of Education Studies Terry Stoops. WRAL.com highlighted that story, along with the Charlotte Observer, Wilmington Star-News, Greenville Daily Reflector, Kinston Free Press, Lumberton Robesonian, and Rocky Mount Telegram. Outlets as far away as New England Cable News picked up the article.
The Fayetteville Observer published Stoops’ column on the national security concerns associated with America’s failing public education system. The Mooresville Tribune and Richmond County Daily Journal picked up his column on demagoguery associated with the education funding debate. An electoral candidate quoted in the Transylvania Times cited Stoops’ research on teacher compensation. (The John Locke Foundation ranks North Carolina 10th in the nation in the total value of teacher compensation because North Carolina provides more generous benefits and offers a lower cost of living than many states.) Stoops speaks today at the N.C. Public Charter Schools Association’s first leadership conference.
