Charles Davenport
One of the least-discussed primary races this season is the Republicans’ contest for Superintendent of Public Instruction. That’s a shame, because the consequences could be significant. The incumbent, Catherine Truitt, is a Republican who, in a reversal of the old adage, proved to be a sheep in a wolf’s clothing.
This is a common theme among Republicans, who, to the dismay of their constituents, tend to “moderate” their views once elected to office. What is needed at the helm of public education is a wolf: a serious reformer determined to disrupt the status quo. Enter Michele Morrow of Cary, a former nurse, missionary, and mother of five with 16 years of experience as a homeschool teacher.
Last week in the News & Record, Rob Schofield of NC Newsline warned of the dire consequences that would ensue if the state Supreme Court overturns the 30-year-old Leandro decision. “Conservative lawmakers,” Schofield writes, “will be further emboldened to pursue an even more ambitious overhaul of the state’s education system.”
Good. That’s exactly what needs to happen. Only 32% of the state’s 4th-graders and 26% of our eighth-graders are proficient in reading. Is that satisfactory? A reform-minded superintendent would be a critical player in implementing an “ambitious overhaul” of our public schools.
Progressives insist that our public schools underperform because they are underfunded, but that’s debatable. Here’s Max Eden of the Manhattan Institute from his report, “Issues 2020: Public school spending is at an all-time high”: “Over the past half-century,” Eden writes, “America’s per-pupil spending on K-12 education has nearly tripled,” and today, “stands at an all-time high in most states.”
Spending varies by state, but that variation, Eden writes, “shows little correlation with academic achievement.” Although achievement gaps persist, Eden concludes that “inadequate and inequitable school spending are not among the causes” of those gaps.
If additional funding is not the magic bullet, then what’s the fix? A change in leadership might be a good place to start. “The current superintendent,” Michele Morrow says, “has been a rubber stamp” for demonstrably failed educational methods and policy. “She refuses to push back, claiming she is unable to make changes due to the left-leaning state board and local district boards.”
Would an increased focus on diversity, equity and inclusion improve our kids’ academic achievement? Absolutely not, Morrow says. “I will fight back against DEI and focus our money and classroom time on the sound basic education laid out in the NC Constitution.”
Morrow has many ideas about improving the reading ability of North Carolina’s kids. She will promote a strong phonics curriculum, incentivize daily reading at home with parents/guardians, provide additional staff in elementary ELA classrooms, and cluster groups of students with comparable reading ability, so that teachers can more effectively provide assistance.
Morrow acknowledges the reality that not every high schooler is “college material.” Accordingly, she will “work with businesses and community outreach programs to provide skilled trades training and internships at every high school” in the state. Charters have had success with such programs, and Morrow would like to “duplicate those in all 115 districts.”
She is also a champion of increased parental involvement. One rarely-discussed obstacle in that regard is the increasing number of parents who do not speak English as their first language. What to do? “I think our public schools should partner with community groups to offer ESL and naturalization classes in the evening in our public schools.”
North Carolinians who are satisfied with fewer than one-third of our 4th- and 8th-graders reading proficiently should vote to maintain the status quo. Michele Morrow, on the other hand, believes we can do better.
Charles Davenport Jr. (cdavenportjr@hotmail.com) lives in Kernersville with his wife, Maureen; a pampered feline named Nikita; and a giddy Golden Retriever by the name of Moose. He re-reads Calvin & Hobbes when he needs a good laugh (which is often).