There's a raging debate about whether the state's public schools are failing or rising. The answer seems to depend on who you ask.
On Thursday, State Board of Education Chairman Bill Harrison was vehement in his defense of the schools, which he said are improving. He cited a graduation rate that has increased from 68 percent to 74 percent in the last four years. "It's not a broken system," he said.
He did stress that some numbers show failure, namely, teacher pay, which ranks near the bottom in the country. "That's embarrassing," Harrison said. "That's broken."
Senate leader Phil Berger, an Eden Republican, has repeatedly cited the statistic that North Carolina is 43rd in the nation in graduation rates. That figure apparently comes from 2007-08 data referenced by the Public School Forum of North Carolina.
Sen. Tom Apodaca, a Hendersonville Republican, said he prefers to look at national standardized tests to determine success.
"I don't think we have a greatly improving system, if we're improving at all," Apodaca said. "I think our budget takes steps to make some real gains in education that they like to talk about at [the Department of Public Instruction], but seldom do anything to accomplish."
Below are some indicators published in March by the Public School Forum, based on DPI data. Judge for yourself.
North Carolina Public Schools are:
37th in SAT Scores
12th in ACT Scores
13th in the percentage of seniors who took at least 1 Advanced Placement exam in high school
12th in 4th grade math, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)
31st in 4th grade reading, according to NAEP
26th in 8th grade math, according to NAEP
38th in 8th grade reading, according to NAEP
46th in per pupil funding
45th in teacher pay (lowest rank in 64 years)
Posted the largest 10-year gain on the SAT among 22 states where the SAT is the most commonly used college entrance exam
Comments
Encourage parents to REMOVE their children
June 5, 2011 - 5:46pm — BitterEXdemocratfrom government screwls for a better education !
Thats what Bev ought to be doing!
Broken
June 3, 2011 - 7:41pm — BigSharkWhen will NC switch to nationally approved tests that the rest of the country uses??? Until then. We cannot compare to other states.
Do you libs know we use special tests designed by the DPI instead of the nationally approved EOG tests??? Whose brain child was this? Purdue. Why? Because our public schools s?ck. Hide the evidence.
SAD
I love of the GOP wants to
June 3, 2011 - 2:32pm — JoeTarheelI love of the GOP wants to strip teachers of any benefits, including tenure, constantly barking about how they should not have tenure protection and how they should reward 'good teachers' blah, blah, blah.
And yet at the end of the day, they are simply not willing to actually 'pay' them for this suppposed performance they constantly harp on.
what idiots.
Growth has been the reason for increases in education scores.
June 3, 2011 - 2:09pm — JustShutUpOver 15 years ago I had a conversation with the then N&O Education reporter (Todd S.) that the improvements in NC and specifically Wake county were the result growth. Nothing more nothing less. With so many businesses transferring folks from better school districts from the late 80's thru the 90's bringing their children raised the levels. Todd told me it was true but he couldn't write it that way per his editors at the N&O and he even said the political powers to be wouldn't like that getting out.