Category Archives: Politics – US

Why Johnny Still Can’t Read

Why Johnny Still Can’t Read By BAKER A. MITCHELL JR.     October 10, 2020 6:30 AM Public schools are passing students who can’t read at any level — all to avoid blaming teachers, lawmakers, and bureaucrats.  Public schools from coast to coast are … Continue reading

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Teachers’ unions focus on politics rather than educating children

Teachers’ unions focus on politics rather than educating children The ‘can’t do’ attitude of unions gets in the way, while charter schools remain in crosshairs.

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The Smear Campaign Against Charters

The Smear Campaign Against Charters Far from being ‘resegregated,’ some of our schools are actually majority-minority—and that’s by parents’ free choice. By Baker A. Mitchell, WSJ|Opinion, Aug. 13, 2019 6:57 pm ET, Leland, NC    With a new school year ahead, the … Continue reading

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Let My People Go: Removing the Shackles of Academic Jim Crow

On Wednesday March 29, Betsy DeVos, the Secretary of Education, gave a thoughtful speech before the Brookings Institution.  She appropriately noted that, “parents know what is best for their kids. No parent should be denied the opportunity to send his … Continue reading

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Judge Clarence Thomas on the “Heroic Virtues”

The following is an excerpt from Judge Thomas’ Feb. 13, 2001 Boyer lecture at the American Enterprise Institute’s Annual Dinner.  His lecture was entitled “Be Not Afraid,” and he addresses our tendency for self-censorship. “This tendency [for self-censorship], in large … Continue reading

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National School Choice Week: Are NC public charters a good choice for your child? Demographic data reveal, “Yes!”

In acknowledgement of National School Choice Week, the following evaluates North Carolina’s public charter school option. What are public charter schools? What is their academic record?  Who are their students? Information compiled directly from North Carolina Department of Public Instruction test … Continue reading

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Charter Students Outperform Traditional Students by a Wide Margin

According to official state data, how do public charter students compare to public traditional students on state End-of Grade tests?  The NC Department of Public Instruction (DPI) has released the raw data for each public school’s end-of-grade test results. DPI also calculates … Continue reading

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High Scores at Low Cost: A Taxpaying Parent’s Dream, A Bureaucrat’s Nightmare.

Abstract When free-enterprise solutions are unleashed in a competitive environment controlled by local parental choice not remote bureaucratic dictates, both students and taxpayers win. A charter school in Southeastern North Carolina has a 15-year time-tested model for

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21st Century Globally Competitive – Late to the Party?

Edville, USA – The hue and cry for our schools to produce students who are “21st Century Globally Competitive” now stretches from sea to shining sea across our great nation.

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NC Charters Close State’s SAT Gap?

For many years, North Carolina’s public schools have lagged far behind the national average in college-bound SAT scores. Since 1998, however, that gap has steadily shrunk in direct proportion to the number of students enrolled in charter schools.  By 2012, … Continue reading

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