In 2023, charter school advocates continued to make legislative gains in statehouses across the country. These gains were made in red, blue, and purple states, oftentimes in ways that showed bipartisan support for charter schools remains firmly in place. In looking at the results of this year's legislative sessions across the country, four…

Recent state legislative developments have brought accreditation to the forefront of public higher education conversations. Some accreditation critics state that accreditors have too much influence in higher education suggesting that their efforts may affect institutional autonomy and that they are allegedly structured as legalized monopolies…

Since March 2020, COVID-19 has required the implementation of remote learning options in K-12 public schools across North Carolina, ranging from fully online classroom experiences to hybrid scenarios in which students attend school both in person and remotely. In some locales, students continue to attend school in person most of the time, but with…

For much of the last two decades, beginning with the passage of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) in 2002, the top political leaders have shown concern about children stuck in failing public schools. NCLB required districts to do something -- not enough, but something -- about those schools. Millions of children still languish in low-performing schools,…

California's alternative education options for youth vulnerable to dropping out of school have been established at different historical points and for different student age and target populations. For purposes of this brief, "alternative school" is defined as belonging to one of six legislatively authorized types of public (non-charter)…

This article examines the redesign of two educational leadership programs at different institutions: a medium-sized public university and a small private university. Both were committed to principals of ethical leadership. Each program faced a state mandate to redesign. In one case, state policy focused on detailed accountability measures based on…

State-level initiatives on closing the achievement gap between white, African American, and Hispanic students are still in the early stages of development and implementation in several states. From these initiatives have come several new programs aimed at addressing all aspects that have been identified as causes for the achievement gap, from…

Purpose: Charter schools are unique public schools in part because this type of school can close if it fails to meet objectives set forth by the chartering body that approved it. Thus far, however, little research has been conducted into the causes of charter school closures. In this article, we examine charter school accountability. Research…

Online learning has steadily become a more integral strategy for schools and districts in their efforts to offer students greater access to the courses they need. Where in the past, much of the online learning activity happened at the state level or regional level, more and more schools are exercising greater control over their online and digital…

North Carolina charter schools are operated by private, nonprofit corporations with federal, tax-exempt status and multicharter licenses. The application process is easy, the political climate under Governor Jim Hunt is progressive, and public employees are not unionized. On balance, the system seems both flexible and accountable to taxpayers.…

North Carolina's educational reform effort is composed of three related programs--the Basic Education Program (BEP), the School Improvement and Accountability Act (Senate Bill 2), and a new system of state accreditation. Information about the complementary and interdependent connection among the three programs is provided in this publication. The…

Examines the flexibility and accountability standards of the North Carolina charter school laws compared with the charter school legislation of Arizona and California. North Carolina's charter school legislation seems to have the flexibility charter school advocates would wish, with the necessary accountability requirements. (SLD)

Although state takeover of low-performing schools is not a new phenomenon in American education, it has seldom been exercised. Takeover actions exist in 11 states--Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, and West Virginia--but only New Jersey and Kentucky have exercised steps leading to…

Under the School Improvement and Accountability Act (SIAA) of 1989, North Carolina school districts developed plans for educational improvement. During the 1989-90 school year, 134 school districts developed responses to the SIAA, and all included differentiated teacher salary/pay plans. These pay plans are analyzed, and several generalizations…

The regulation of nonpublic and public postsecondary institutions was studied by the North Carolina Legislative Research Commission. Attention was directed to the following concerns: whether regulation of all postsecondary degree-granting education is needed; whether regulation could best be provided by a governmental licensing process or by a…