This week, I have the pleasure of attending the annual State Policy Network meeting in Cleveland, Ohio. The good news? The free-market think tank movement is thriving! The bad news? Pittsburgh Steelers fans (like me) are not necessarily welcome in Cleveland.

Bulletin Board

  • The E.A. Morris Fellowship for Emerging Leaders is now accepting applications for the 2010-11 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 web site.
  • The John Locke Foundation invites you to a Headliner Luncheon on Wednesday, September 29, 2010. Join Michael Barone, Marc Rotterman, John Hood, and Gary Pearce for a preview of state and national elections. For more information, visit https://www.johnlocke.org/events or call 919-828-3876.
  • Catch up with the Jesse Helms Center at http://www.jessehelmscenter.org. The JHC Education Mission states, "The Jesse Helms Center exists to promote the principles of free enterprise, representative democracy, traditional American values, and a strong national defense upon which former U.S. Senator Jesse Helms built his life and career."

Are you kidding me?

In a recent front-page story, Albany Times Union reporters complain that the city’s public charter schools are racially isolated; i.e., they have too many black students and too few white students. That complaint should sound familiar to North Carolinians. In an April op-ed published in The News & Observer, Mark Dorosin and Benita N. Jones of the Center for Civil Rights at the UNC-Chapel Hill’s School of Law contended, "Missing from the [Race to the Top] debate is the reality that North Carolina charter schools are a national leader in racial isolation and hyper-segregated learning."

According to state statistics, most charter schools in North Carolina fall within or near the range of minority enrollment maintained by district schools in their jurisdiction. More importantly, a May 2007 doctoral dissertation revealed that 100% of African-American parents in North Carolina accepted of the lack of diversity in their charter schools, and 81% said it was insignificant as long as their children were successful academically. I suspect that most African-American parents in Albany would agree.

For further information on charter school diversity in North Carolina, read "Charter School Diversity: Too Black, Too White, or Just Right?"

Facts and Stats

Four-year graduation rates, 2009-10:

Top 10 Districts (District Name: Percentage)
Dare County Schools: 90.5
Chapel Hill-Carrboro Schools: 89.0
Newton Conover City Schools: 88.6
Clay County Schools: 86.5
Elkin City Schools: 86.5
Alleghany County Schools: 86.2
Mooresville City Schools: 86.0
Polk County Schools: 86.0
Mount Airy City Schools: 85.0
Pamlico County Schools: 84.9

Bottom 10 Districts (District Name: Percentage)
Granville County Schools: 65.3
Vance County Schools: 65.2
Wilson County Schools: 64.9
Northampton County Schools: 64.7
Pitt County Schools: 64.0
Thomasville City Schools: 63.6
Anson County Schools: 63.3
Greene County Schools: 62.9
Madison County Schools: 62.6
Tyrrell County Schools: 58.6

Source: North Carolina Department of Public Instruction 

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 at [email protected].

Education Acronym of the Week

LEO — Learn and Earn Online

Astronomy Acronym of the Week

LEO — Low Earth Orbit

Quote of the Week

An expert is a man who has made all the mistakes which can be made, in a narrow field.
— Niels Bohr