Laurie (April 26, 2024) – What will it take to create a state school system where all students from all backgrounds and circumstances have access to educational opportunities that will help them succeed economically and socially in college, career, and life? If a system could provide the resources and programs needed to overcome the challenges we face internally and externally, what would that cost?
A new report focused on North Carolina attempts to answer these questions.
The North Carolina Center for Justice, the University of Colorado Boulder School of Education's Place-Based Partnership, and the National Center for Educational Policy's report, “North Carolina's Pursuit of an 'Every Child Thrives' Public School System,” makes 12 recommendations for North Carolina. is presented. Carolina public schools provide an equitable education for all students.
Based on research and recommendations from a panel of North Carolina education experts and stakeholders, this report recommends:
– All classrooms will be staffed with well-prepared, high-quality, and supported teachers
– All schools have well-prepared, high-quality and supported principals.
– A financial system that provides adequate, fair and efficient resources.
– Reliable and reasonable evaluation and accountability system
– Full support for underperforming schools and districts
– Equitable and high-quality preschool and early childhood learning systems
– Aligning high schools with post-secondary and career expectations for all students.
– Strong support system for special education
– A powerful system to support linguistically diverse learners
– Strong system of comprehensive support and community partnerships
– Robust and multifaceted family engagement system
– A positive school climate and behavior system is supported in all schools.
The report begins with an analysis of North Carolina's public schools and finds that the cost of true educational opportunity in the state is between $36.6 billion and $43.4 billion annually. This funding will take per-student spending from one of the worst in the country (about $11,300) to one of the best, from about $23,600 to $28,000 per student. become.
“This report shows that if the state came up with an ambitious vision for what children should receive, educational resources would be available to North Carolina families. “It shows what the opportunities are.” “Unfortunately, the state has cut funding to public education in favor of wealthy families with children attending private schools, ignoring the constitutional minimum standards established in the Leandro Plan. I chose.”
The North Carolina study is part of a larger project called “The Price of Opportunity,” which examines the role of politics in creating and perpetuating racialized and concentrated poverty. The report argues that politicians sometimes speak of schools as the “great leveler” for young people, but have never provided the resources needed to achieve this goal. Additionally, the report examines how the experience of poverty causes serious harm to the nation's children, creating a situation where school funding must cover the costs of mitigating these harms. In North Carolina's case, it would require twice the current level of funding to address the impacts.
Read the full report.
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