School Choice – The Road Ahead
The school choice movement, which seeks to expand K-12 education opportunities through charter and private schools, has seen major gains in the past few years across the country. Most recently, a...
View ArticleArt Pope greets his protesters
A small group of protesters showed up outside a luncheon in Raleigh sponsored by the Civitas Institute. A new poll on political races was to be unveiled. Businessman and former Republican legislator...
View ArticleSetting the Record Straight: Indy Week Lies about Civitas Lunch with Art Pope
What’s a journalist to do when he doesn’t have a story? Apparently, if you’re with Indy Week, you’re supposed to make one up. That’s what Bob Geary did after the Civitas Poll Luncheon at the Doubletree...
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Local Business Owner on the Impact of Fuel Prices
Facing Lake Wheeler Road, small-business owner Scott Byers uses his marquee to express his political views. Every day I drive past a gas station and convenience store, the Grocery Boy Junior. About...
View ArticleEducation Savings Accounts: Providing NC Families Education Options
A new article posted by the Civitas Institute discusses a legislative options that could provide real education choice to North Carolina families: Education Savings Accounts (ESAs). A sample from the...
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Common Core Mess: Standards Are Badly Flawed
I'd read about the flaws in Common Core Standards, but our Civitas Common Core Forum yesterday really opened my eyes. Much of what we have been told about them is misleading or myth; much of what we...
View ArticleExamining Common Core: Better Late Than Never
The North Carolina legislature adopted Common Core standards for math and English in 2010 with little discussion. More than three years later, legislators have finally formed a committee to take a...
View ArticleGov. McCrory outlines his plans for teacher pay
Gov. McCrory made his long-awaited announcement on education this morning in Greensboro. In it the Governor laid out his immediate and long-term plans for addressing the teacher pay issue. Major...
View ArticleSetting the Record Straight: Indy Week Lies about Civitas Lunch with Art Pope
What’s a journalist to do when he doesn’t have a story? Apparently, if you’re with Indy Week, you’re supposed to make one up. That’s what Bob Geary did after the Civitas Poll Luncheon at the Doubletree...
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Moral Mondays – Fizzling Out?
Protesters at the June 9 rally focused on education issues. This week, Moral Monday took an interesting turn; instead of ending in arrests, the evening ended with a civil discussion and an eerie march...
View ArticleSenate Bill Allows Local Sales Tax Hike for Ed Expands Corporate Welfare
In a new "committee substitute" bill introduced by the Senate Finance Committee yesterday, the state would authorize local governments to raise their sales taxes by 1/2 cent to fund education (but...
View ArticleHow Teachers Can Give Themselves a Raise
In the wake of a state budget that includes the most substantial pay raise for teachers in recent memory, the North Carolina Association of Educators – a group dedicated largely to advocating for...
View ArticleNew Civitas Study: True Cost of HS Diploma in NC is $150K; No Correlation...
A new study released yesterday by the Civitas Institute evaluates government education spending and academic results across all local school districts in NC. A few key findings from the study include:...
View ArticleThe Hunt Institute: Taxpayer-Funded Advocacy
This week's edition of the Waste of the Week is the Hunt Institute. The UNC-Chapel Hill affiliate has been receiving millions of taxpayer dollars for years to advance highly politicized public...
View ArticleNC History Curriculum Fight Underscores Importance of School Choice
Today's USA Today has a story highlighting a debate over changes to North Carolina's history curriculum to be taken up by the NC School Board. The State Board of Education was to meet by conference...
View ArticleExecutive Overreach and the Opt Out Movement
Today, I'm excited to join the likes of attorney Jay Sekulow and U.S. Senator Mike Lee in contributing to Constituting America, a project of conservative leaders Janine Turner and Cathy Gillespie. This...
View ArticleProgress on H.B. 13, but questions remain
Earlier this week, I wrote on the potential ramifications of H.B. 13, a bill working its way through the NC Senate. While the main theme of the bill is to ensure that students entering public schools...
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State Budget Coverage
Be sure to check out the new articles up now at nccivitas.org examining the state budget deal just posted last night. This article outlines the "Top Ten Things You Should Know About the Budget Deal"...
View ArticleThree Things You Should Know About NC's Education Budget
New today at nccivitas.org is this article outlining three major things you should know about North Carolina's education budget. A sample from the article: The education budget has been increasing....
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What the N&O Didn't Tell You About Wake Co. Teacher Pay
The News & Observer had a piece on Wake County's recent increase in its local supplement to teacher salaries. The article includes "praise" from the left-wing group WakeUp Wake County, as well as...
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