Author Archives: bakeramitchell

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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Forced bussing hides failed curriculum, instruction. What succeeds?

Guest Opinion, By Lindalyn Kakadelis, Senior Consultant Wilmington, NC – School Superintendent Tim Markley’s “confidential,” memo laments his inability to raise scores of black students in schools with majority populations of minority and low-income students.  The only option left to him, … Continue reading

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DPI calculations reveal NC public charters better serve 12 of 13 student groups

Charters outscore in 12 of 13 demographic categories on state tests Newly released academic testing data from NC’s Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) reveal that NC’s public charter school students significantly outperform peers in traditional public schools in 12 of 13 … Continue reading

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HB242 Tightens SBE Scrutiny of Charter Schools – House should concur.

June 22, 2016 The Honorable Tim Moore, Speaker of the House The Honorable Larry D. Hall, Democrat Leader N.C. House of Representatives 16 W. Jones Street Raleigh, NC 27601 Re: House Bill 242 Dear Speaker Moore and Representative Hall: Please … 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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If a tree falls in the forest and no media carries the story …?

If a tree falls in the forest and no media carries the story, did the tree really fall? If public charter students test the highest and no media carries the story, did the public charter students really test the highest? … 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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A CLP school is a CLP school is a CLP school: and by any other name would perform as poorly.

In a fit of legislative hocus-pocus, the same Perdue regime which left NC $3.5 billion in debt and cut funding to schools passed Senate Bill 704[i] in the twilight hours of 100 years of Democrat control in May, 2010. The … Continue reading

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Classical History Curriculum by The Roger Bacon Academy

The Roger Bacon Academy (RBA) developed and teaches a classical history curriculum for the schools that it manages.  I have been asked frequently how the RBA “classical history” curriculum differs from a typical “social studies” curriculum, so I would like to share … Continue reading

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