Four Steps Toward Education Reform in NC

This week’s installment of the Civitas Institute Agenda “20 Changes for 2010: A Policy Primer for State Reform” focuses on improving public and higher education.

Included are four recommendations that would be a great start for improving educational results in North Carolina. Why are these recommendations needed? 

Last year about 63 percent of state budget dollars were spent on public education. Taxpayers provided approximately $12 billion to fund schools, community colleges and the UNC system.

Despite decades of ever-expanding budgets, most North Carolinians are less than pleased with the results. Standardized test scores remain at unsatisfactory levels. Low morale and an outdated pay system contribute toward high turnover of teachers. Nearly 30 percent of high school students fail to graduate after four years. Only 55 percent of UNC college students graduate in six years.1

The rise in charter school, private school and homeschooling enrollments suggest parents want better educational opportunities. These developments have spurred a need for new solutions.