As veteran state education policy analyst Kris Nordstrom detailed in his recent report, The Unraveling—Poorly-crafted Education Policies Are Failing North Carolina’s Children, North Carolina has lost its way when it comes to public schools:
“North Carolina was once viewed as a shining example of progressive education policy in the South, with state leaders developing bipartisan support for public schools, and implementing popular, effective programs. Over the past seven years, however, the state has lost its reputation for educational excellence due to a number of controversial, partisan measures, rapidly expanding school choice, cutting school resources, and eliminating job protections for teachers.
These poorly-executed efforts have failed to deliver positive results for North Carolina’s students, according to a new report from the North Carolina Justice Center. In turn, performance in our schools has suffered, particularly for children of color and those from families with low incomes.”
The current class size crisis, in which state lawmakers have imposed a mandate to shrink student-teacher ratios in grades K-3 without providing the dollars to do it, is a classic example of this destructive pattern in action.
So, where do things stand? What can be done to reverse the trend? Join us as we tackle these questions and others with an extremely knowledgeable pair of experts:
State Senator Jay Chaudhuri, member of the Senate Committee on Education and Higher Education and sponsor of legislation to repeal the unfunded class size mandate, and
Kris Nordstrom, Education Policy Analyst at the North Carolina Justice Center’s Education & Law Project and author of The Unraveling.
Don’t miss this important and timely event!
**Co-sponsored by Public Schools First NC and Save our Schools NC**
When: Tuesday January 30, 2018 at noon — Box lunches will be available at 11:45 a.m.
Where: Center for Community Leadership Training Room at the Junior League of Raleigh Building, 711 Hillsborough St. (At the corner of Hillsborough and St. Mary’s streets)
Space is limited – preregistration required.
Cost: $15, admission includes a box lunch. Scholarships available.
Questions?? Contact Rob Schofield at 919-861-2065 or rob@ncpolicywatch.com
The post Crucial Conversation: Public schools in crisis appeared first on NC Policy Watch.