In Context

WakeEd’s In Context newsletter is a monthly deep-dive into education issues impacting the Wake County Public School System.

A new report titled, “The Economic Impact the Wake County Public School System” released by WakeEd Partnership and Wake County Public School System, in collaboration with NC State University, assesses the value-add of the state’s largest school district to its region, and the results are good for taxpayers and WCPSS graduates alike.

MVP Math = content + skills: A formula for workforce readiness and student success

Aug 27, 2019

There’s a common theme that comes through frequently as WakeEd interacts with dozens of business leaders around the Triangle: they need a ready workforce. Readiness means more than credentials and content knowledge, however. Business leaders almost unanimously say they need employees who can work in teams, convey information, perform analysis and solve problems.

Wake’s Leaders Chose Wisely with New Tax Rate

Jun 25, 2019

This year’s Wake County tax increase was a big step in the direction of adequate funding because state leaders persist in approving austere budgets which have left large and small counties alike with picking up the tab for services traditionally funded by the state.

WCPSS is No Longer the Top Driver of Tax Increases in Wake County

May 22, 2019

This year’s budget process has marked a turning point in the discussion about local education funding. The school system is no longer the main driver of the proposed property tax increase.

Moving to A Weighted Student Formula for Public School Funding Makes Sense

Aug 15, 2017

North Carolina is at an important crossroads in how it pays for its K-12 public schools, and dramatic change may be on the horizon. The 2017-19 state budget that was signed into law last month created a special legislative committee, known as the Joint Legislative...

Dump the National Average Salary and Properly Value the Teaching Profession

Jun 14, 2017

The traditional school year is over once again without teachers knowing what their salaries will be next year. It’s not uncommon that the state budget bill, which sets spending priorities for the next two years, isn’t completed before the end of the school year, but...

Finding the Right Formula for A Useful School Performance Report

Apr 10, 2017

What, really, is the point of a school performance report? This is the question that hasn’t been answered in the discussion about school accountability. Is it to measure the teaching quality so parents know if their child’s school is really a good school? Or is it a...

Local Control is Right for School Calendar Law

Mar 13, 2017

It’s official. No one can agree on the best time to start the school year. A recent report from the NC General Assembly’s Program Evaluation Division (PED) found that certain start dates are favored more than others, but none poll at a rate high enough to say with...

K-3 Class Size Limits Are Noble, But Are They The Best Choice to Improve Student Outcomes?

Feb 13, 2017

The conventional wisdom on K-3 class size is that smaller is better. That was the thinking used when the General Assembly passed its budget last year with a section that limited class sizes for grades K-3 starting with the 2017-18 school year. But like any...

NC Needs to Adopt a Unified, Comprehensive School Accountability Standard

Jan 23, 2017

The North Carolina School Report Cards program was broken from the start, and now the state has a chance to change it for the better. The question is: Who’s going to do it? The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) is drafting a plan to measure student outcomes under...

WakeEd’s Public Policy Agenda Focus: Teachers, Standards, Students

Jan 23, 2017

As the North Carolina General Assembly opens its long session on January 25, WakeEd Partnership has released its Public Policy Agenda (PDF) with an emphasis on teacher talent management, improving school accountability measures, and ensuring student equity for all....

PISA Results: NC Schools Perform Well, But Show Plenty of Room to Grow

Dec 14, 2016

The results from an international test of 15-year-olds show that North Carolina students are competitive with worldwide peers in reading and science, but lag significantly in mathematics. Administered every three years, the Programme for International Student...

Fewer WCPSS Teachers Leaving Profession

Dec 14, 2016

The latest report on teachers leaving WCPSS had good news for the school system, but there is still work to do. Overall, 11.29 percent of WCPSS teachers either left the profession, left to teach in another state, or left to teach elsewhere in North Carolina. This...