North Carolina teachers account for more than 20 percent of educators
who carry certification from the National Board for Professional
Teaching Standards. But this credential, and the millions spent by the
state each year to subsidize it, doesn’t translate into significant
gains in student achievement, wrote Karen Palasek in the Garner Times.
A different tool is needed and Palasek recommends a value-added
assessment technique to identify “high quality” teachers. Meantime, the
subject of effective teachers was among the topics at a symposium
attended by Lindalyn Kakadelis. “Lost Boys: Why Schools Keep Failing
Boys of Color and How We Can Save Them” showcased schools that are
making a difference for young men. JLF and NC Education Alliance
efforts to promote choice and charter schools paid off Thursday in a
Wilmington Star story about a local group’s work to snag the state’s
last remaining charter spot. The writer referred to a JLF policy report
which had analyzed a 2004 study by the Terry Sanford Institute and
determined its negative conclusions about charters were flawed.