As schools hope to recover from a challenging two years navigating COVID-19, North Carolina leaders are taking steps to reconsider education policy in general.
One step was in the formation of the House Select Committee on an Education System for North Carolina’s Future, which met for the first time last month. The committee will study a wide variety of issues involving K-12 education, including teacher compensation and state funding, and also generate legislation.
Last week, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt, told the committee it’s time to rethink the North Carolina’s standardized exams and school performance grades that measure school quality. She said a better accountability system would involve helping prepare students for careers: “the 'college for all' cry from the '90s and 2000s needs to become 'careers for all.'"
Meanwhile, additional filings have been recently submitted in the Leandro case, the result of which could force a major increase in funding for education.
As schools across the state try to bring a sense of normality back to the classroom nearly two years into the pandemic, we look toward the future of education policy in North Carolina.
GUESTS:
James Ford, member at-large of the North Carolina State Board of Education
Mary Ann Wolf, president and executive director of the Public School Forum of North Carolina
Terry Stoops, director of the Center for Effective Education at the John Locke Foundation
Sara Baysinger, education team member of the League of Women Voters of Charlotte Mecklenburg
