Raleigh, North Carolina — Education has become too political and focused on the wrong things, outgoing North Carolina Schools Superintendent Katherine Truitt told a gathering of hundreds of educators and community leaders Tuesday. spoke at the gathering.
Politicians and news outlets focus too much on buzzwords and hot topics, she says, and miss the point.
Truitt, a Republican who lost to right-wing challenger Michelle Morrow in the March primary, will be attending the Eggs & Issues Breakfast, an annual forum for educators hosted by the North Carolina Public Schools Forum in Raleigh. ” was a featured speaker. Community leaders who have influence over the state's public schools. Truitt spoke harshly about the political climate in which the general discussion about schools does not focus on how to meaningfully improve student outcomes.
In her speech, she urged education leaders to develop detailed, data-driven plans for how to improve test scores and workforce readiness, and how to leverage resources where they are needed most. appealed to the people.
“Education has emerged as a controversial wedge issue in our political discourse,” Truitt said. “Both Democrats and Republicans use education to appeal to their respective bases, building campaigns and policies around buzzwords that drive clicks and donations.”
Truitt also spoke about the urgency of the education issue as students continue to recover from months of remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, where the pace of learning has slowed significantly. also mentioned.
“We are at a critical juncture,” Truitt said. “We have a big election ahead of us. The stakes are high because while we are trying to recover from the greatest education disruption in our nation's history, the very meaning of workforce readiness is changing daily. But , as someone who has had the privilege of leading public education for nearly the past four years, I want to emphasize the need for leaders to look away from the buzzwords and hot topics that drive the news and viral videos.
“This means eliminating something that looks good instead of doing something good for our students.”
Truitt did not name the main candidates for the superintendent's post, Republican Michelle Morrow and Democrat Moe Green. However, some observers took some of her comments as a jab at Moreau.
Truitt cited “indoctrination” and “critical race theory” as examples of buzzwords. This refers to studying things through the lens of the effects of systemic racism. Morrow, a former homeschool educator, calls public schools “indoctrination centers” and urges people not to send their children there. She is also a vocal opponent of teaching critical race theory in schools.
Organizers said Morrow, who defeated Truitt in the Republican primary, declined an invitation to attend the event and an invitation to conduct a prerecorded virtual question-and-answer session. A spokesperson for Morrow's campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
“Problems that don't shine”
Education leaders need to demonstrate whether there is a “solid chance to implement a coherent long-term vision,” Truitt said. That vision should include issues that don't spread on social media, she says.
“That means tackling problems that are not shiny, not easily understood, not easily explained, and not common,” Truitt said.
Some moderate Republicans have spoken out about Morrow's more extreme public comments and social media posts, which go beyond education and call for the paid execution of former President Barack Obama, whom she considers a war criminal. is requesting. She also called for the execution of other prominent Democratic politicians, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and his ex-wife Melinda French Gates. Morrow accused Bill Gates of planning and funding a global pandemic, she said.
“Whether they're against school choice, whether they're in favor of charters, whether they're in favor of opportunity scholarships, whether they're in favor of book bans, whether they're against social and emotional learning. If you ask if they're doing it or not, you're missing out on the opportunity to hear about the bigger plan,” Truitt said.
Some speakers and attendees Tuesday disagreed with Truitt's characterization of Leandro as a buzzword. At a separate candidate forum, state Sen. Lisa Grafstein, D-Wake., said the case is an important issue that many people care about, a comment that drew applause from the crowd.
“I thought, 'I can't do this,'” said Green, a former superintendent of Guilford County Schools.
Truitt said the focus is on improving reading comprehension, workforce readiness, and changing the way schools are held accountable and public evaluations. She said these were necessary issues, but not ones that would provoke political debate. Since she worked with legislators to overhaul reading curriculum and provide training and coaching on it across the state, K-12 reading scores have increased. The number of workforce qualifications students earn has also increased. Tuitt's other efforts, including a review of teaching licensure and changes to how schools are publicly evaluated, have not progressed.
The race to replace Truitt is expected to be close. According to a WRAL News poll released in March, Morrow and Green were in a statistical dead heat in the race.
While Democrats seek to emphasize Greene's extensive academic background, Morrow's supporters emphasize her role as an outsider agitating for change.
Going into the March primary, Mr. Truitt appeared to have an advantage over Mr. Morrow. She already has years of experience leading the state's schools in the post-pandemic years, helping them recover from learning loss faster than many other states, and changing how reading is taught in classrooms. I supervised most of the first semester. . She had the support of Republican leaders and outnumbered Mr. Morrow by nearly 10 to 1.
But Mr. Morrow brutally defeated Mr. Truitt's campaign, political operatives familiar with the campaign's strategy told WRAL after Mr. Morrow's first upset. Truitt was also affected by her day job running the Department of Public Instruction, one of the state's most politically troubled agencies, which accounts for more than 30 percent of the state's budget.
Ms. Morrow took time off from her job as a property manager to meet with parent and conservative organizations and promote her message. “She doesn't think schools need more funding. She promotes uniform student discipline policies and prevents schools from incorporating diversity and equity.” Inclusion training for staff .
