Education Matters

Topic:  Class Size Mandate We discuss new K-3 class size mandates from the General Assembly and the dramatic impact they are already having on schools this year, as well as […]

Topic:  One-on-one with UNC President Margaret Spellings UNC President Margaret Spellings discusses Charlottesville and Silent Sam, her first year on the job, college affordability, UNC’s state support, teacher preparation and […]

Topic:  Closer Look: NC Innovative School District & New Teacher Pay Pilots The new – and controversial – NC Innovative School District, formerly known as the Achievement School District, is […]

Topic:  A New Direction for Leandro Case The now 20-year old landmark Leandro case on education quality and equity in North Carolina’s public schools just took a surprising new turn. We […]

House Bill 704 passed by the NC General Assembly in June sets up a study committee to explore breaking up large school districts — Wake and Mecklenburg are the state’s […]

The budget just passed by the NC General Assembly eliminates retiree health benefits for teachers and all state employees hired after January 2021. What will be the impact of this […]

How does North Carolina stack up compared to other states when it comes to child well-being? The short answer – not great. This week we explore the key indicators of […]

With an actual budget in hand with votes this week, we talk with key education advocates for their take on the budget and with two journalists who’ve been covering the […]

This week on Education Matters, two leading NC House members, Rep. Hugh Blackwell (R-Burke) and Rep. Graig Meyer (D-Durham, Orange), will discuss the state of the budget process and key […]

State Board of Education Chairman Bill Cobey discusses proposed cuts at DPI and the ongoing power struggle with the State Superintendent and General Assembly. In the second segment, NC Charter […]

This week’s show looks at the budget passed by the NC Senate, including the key education provisions and a controversial amendment passed at 3 am that appeared to target only […]

This week on Education Matters State Superintendent Mark Johnson talks HB13 class size debate, the State Board lawsuit, his listening tour and why he’s focusing on early literacy. This week’s […]

Topic – Race: Are We So Different? This week we have two segments focused on the issue of race. First is a preview of an exciting new exhibition opening this […]

Topic:  Teaching Fellows 2.0 A look at the proposal to re-establish a NC Teaching Fellows Program to recruit new teachers into our state’s classrooms. Guests include: Rep. Craig Horn (R-Union) […]

This week we discuss state employee and retiree benefits with guest State Treasurer Dale Folwell and we talk about the state’s critical school building needs and how to cover the […]

Topic: How Your Zip Code Drives School Funding A new report out by the Public School Forum spotlights stark gaps in school funding across the state. Guests: Lauren Bock, Research […]

Topic: Private School Vouchers – A National Perspective A leading national expert discusses the push toward privatization in K-12 education and its impact on public education and society as a […]

Topic: Focus on School Funding This week we focus on two key issues in school funding. We talk to school leaders about impact of K-3 class size mandate and a […]

Topic: Newsmakers & Newsbreakers State Budget Director Charlie Perusse talks about Gov. Roy Cooper’s first budget and its focus on education investments in the first half of the show, followed […]

Preparing the Next Generation of School Leaders This week we focus on principal preparation and development. Why is principal development important, what are we doing well, what else do we […]

Topic: Our Vulnerable Students All young people deal with their own unique sets of pressure and stress in their lives that just come from growing up, but certainly two groups […]

Topic: NC’s Private School Voucher Program The confirmation of Betsy DeVos as U.S. Secretary of Education has shined a spotlight on programs like NC’s Opportunity Scholarship Program that provides state […]

Topic: The School Calendar Question You may think education is largely a local issue, but when it comes to the calendar, NC school districts have very little say in when […]

Topic: Teacher of the Year: A New Documentary Film Teacher of the Year is a new documentary film that reveals the complex reality of teaching in the 21st century and explores […]