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New generation takes the helm at Asheville–Buncombe League of Women Voters

May 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The League of Women Voters of Asheville and Buncombe County held its annual meeting and luncheon on Saturday, May 12 at the Renaissance Hotel in Asheville. The keynote speaker was Leanne Winner, an Asheville native who is now chief lobbyist for the NC School Boards Association (NCSBA). She discussed and analyzed changes in public school funding during the past five years, trends in charter and virtual schooling, and specific legislation that will impact education in North Carolina for years to come. Before joining NCSBA, she was an attorney with Everett, Gaskins, Hancock and Stevens, where she helped guide the $1.8 million school-bond legislation through the General Assembly.

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Editorial: E-learning – Hoke finds way to get its students online

May 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment

It was the Hoke County school system that spawned the Leandro court case over inequity of state funding for low-wealth school districts.

The case brought some improvement, but Hoke still is a long way from having big resources. But we just got a look at a program there that helps students use 21st century technology to learn better and faster, with more resources at their fingertips.

For the rest of the article, go to Editorial: E-learning – Hoke finds way to get its students online

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Virtual charter school seeks state response

May 6, 2012 By Leave a Comment

With more than 200,000 students enrolled nationwide, online public schools are becoming a legitimate alternative to the brick-and-mortar schools where most present-day adults grew up.

That number will continue to grow if the N.C. State Board of Education grants approval to the N.C. Virtual Charter Academy’s application. But a delay in that process has drawn a lawsuit against the state board.

The virtual school, to which the Cabarrus County Board of Education granted preliminary approval in January, would be based in Cabarrus County but would enroll eligible students across the state.

The school would provide full-time public school services online, using curriculum and services from the for-profit company K12 Inc. It could mean job opportunities for state-certified teachers.

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Proposed Virtual Charter Tries To Force State School Board Review

May 2, 2012 By Leave a Comment

But the virtual academy took a different path. It got its first round of approval through the Cabarrus County school board and then sent its application to the state board. The board did not review it.

Now, Hartsell wants an administrative law judge to force the state board to review the school’s application.

State board chairman Bill Harrison has said he supports virtual education, but he also said online charters bring up policy questions that need to be sorted out both in terms of finances and curriculum.

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Five Republicans compete in state superintendent primary

April 29, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The five Republicans vying to be the party nominee for the state superintendent of public instruction base their strategies for changing education statewide on their experiences in the classroom or the school district boardroom.

The winner will face Democratic incumbent June Atkinson in the general election.

The campaign for state education chief comes at time when state education leaders, battling budget cuts and an increased interest in privatization, see the need to formally spread the message that public schools, which enroll about 1.5 million children, serve the public good.

David Scholl, a Union County School Board member, wants an end to social promotion and wants to give local districts and individual schools more autonomy.

“What works for one school doesn’t work for all across the county in our own school system,” he said.

He, too, wants to move away from the emphasis on standardized tests.

“We’ve taught kids how to take bubble tests,” said Scholl, a self-employed business consultant and member of the N.C. Virtual Public School advisory board. Once students figure out how to take the tests, he said, they can make it through school without learning subjects’ content.

John Tedesco, a Wake County Board of Education member, said he wants to bring the county experience cutting operational expenses and expanding school options to the state job. Tedesco was board vice-chairman of the state’s largest school district until voters turned out the Republican majority last year. Tedesco remains on the board, but he is no longer vice chairman.

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GOP candidates for NC schools chief vary on role

April 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment

“We need to create students who are able to work at jobs when they finish,” said Scholl, a Union County school board member, a golf and tennis coach, and former substitute teacher. “Increasing rigor, offering relevant courses and engaging relationships at the community and school are key to raising student achievement.”

Scholl is vice chairman of the advisory board for the North Carolina Virtual Public Schools, which offers students online learning in subjects such as advanced placement, foreign languages and test preparation. Scholl also owns a company offering web-based training and web-site development to businesses.

Graduation rates are another campaign issue. The Republicans focus on the fact that though the statewide high school graduation rate has been improving, too many children fall short.

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Virtual charter schools need to be scrutinized before opening, N.C. commission says

April 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment

A state advisory committee wants to see more information on the virtual charter school industry before the state starts funding any of the online schools.

The N.C. E-Learning Commission, which acts in an advisory role to both N.C. Gov. Bev Perdue and the N.C. State Board of Education, met Thursday morning and passed a recommendation that the state board take a closer look at virtual education before approving any cyber schools.

The committee’s recommendation for a detailed cost analysis, curriculum review and accountability assessment of virtual education programs is expected to be in front of the N.C. State Board of Education by June.

“As we go forward with virtual schools, with charters, I think it’s very important that we do it right,” said Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton, the committee chair (and one of several Democratic candidates for governor).

Funding will be a major issue — nothing now prevents a virtual school from getting the same amount of funding as a brick-and-mortar charter school.

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Candidates spar over schools

April 2, 2012 By Leave a Comment

“We have one third of the early colleges in the nation today,” Dalton said. “The New York Times said it is a model for the nation. Seven of the top 10 high schools for graduation were early colleges. … The valedictorian at N.C. State two years ago was the product of Early College. So I am excited about that.”

As chairman of the state eLearning Commission, Dalton has also championed more online learning. North Carolina is operating the second largest virtual high school in the nation, and the University of North Carolina offers more online courses than any state university system in the country, Dalton said.

Dalton has spent a good part of his three years as lieutenant governor traveling across the state, chairing meetings of the Joining our Business and Schools (JOBS) Commission, which looks for ways to tie education more directly to the needs of the marketplace.

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Virtual schools, brick-and-mortar challenges

February 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment

How many ways can we improve on our public education system? Chartered schools, home schools, Catholic schools, private schools have all been attempts to improve how and what children learn. Alternatives abound, yet the state controled K-12 schools dominate the average American childhood. Now add to the list of suitors for your education dollar – virtual charter schools.

A box arrives at your door, filled with the school supplies your daughter Sally will need for the year. On your home computer, she logs in to her classes, gets lessons from her teacher, completes her homework assignments. No more school bus, cafetaria, gym, bully, favorite teacher, crush on the boy who could draw.

This approach to schooling is picking up steam. In fact, every state that borders North Carolina has a virtual charter school. Yes, even South Carolina.

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Virtual charter school company with NC intentions slapped with class-action lawsuit

February 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment

A NYC-based law firm has filed a class-action lawsuit in a federal court in Virginia against K12, Inc., the for-profit virtual school company, claiming that its top officials intentionally misled the public and investors about its quality of the education.

The lawsuit was filed Jan. 30, as reported here by the Washington Post.

The claims of fraud at the top levels of the company should be of particular interest here in North Carolina after the company, K12, Inc., (NYSE:LRN) edged its way  into a partnership with the Cabarrus County school system to try and tap into state education dollars.

Stock for the virtual school company had been steadily rising (a high of $39.74 was reached last April) since its 2007 emergence on the market, but plummeted after a critical New York Times article late last year, “Online schools fare better on Wall Street than in classrooms.” The Times investigation found that the company pushed to bring in more profits while students were failing and falling far behind their traditional school peers.

K12 stock was trading at $21.63 a share mid-day today.

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