This article by Helen Ladd of Duke University is absolutely “must” reading.
Ladd is a major economist of education.
The same article might be written for many states.
North Carolina was once renowned for its commitment to public education.
But now the legislature is starving the funding for public education: “Per-pupil spending on K-12 education in North Carolina is now 46th in the country, teacher salaries are 48th and the General Assembly has been cutting funding for our university and community college systems, once the envy of other states.”
Worse, the legislature seems determined to create a dual school system, one public, the other run by privately managed charters, vouchers, and for-profit vendors.
Here is the utterly predictable result:
“Proponents of this private vision push for reduced spending on traditional public schools, unfettered expansion of charter schools, transfer of school management to private firms that view education as a business opportunity, school vouchers that shift public funds to private schools and scholarships for private school tuitions financed by tax breaks to corporations and wealthy individuals.
“This private vision espoused by Republican leaders diverts attention from the public purposes of schooling and reduces accountability for the use of public funds. Perhaps most important, this anti-public education vision leaves little room for principles of social justice and the commitment to equal educational opportunity for all students.
“When education becomes primarily a private affair, benefits flow disproportionately to those with the most means to work the system to their advantage. The losers are typically disadvantaged children who end up in under-resourced traditional public schools with large concentrations of low-performing and challenging-to-educate students. The role of education as an engine of opportunity for every North Carolina child is downplayed in favor of greater benefits for those already advantaged.”
Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/04/10/2816261/the-perils-of-a-private-vision.html#storylink=cpy
Diane Ravitch's blog 
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“greater benefits for those already advantaged”?
Golly, she says that like it’s a bad thing.
Clearly some kinda commie …
or socialist.
Yes, anyone who speaks in favor of “social justice” is obviously a socialist.
“The private vision espoused by REPUBLICAN leaders”?
But Obama is a Democrat! Nyuk-nyuk-nyuk!
Ladd is a major economist of education
Indeed she is. Has anyone been listening to her for the last 14 years?
Making money matter:financing America’s schools, Helen F. Ladd, Janet S. Hansen, National Research Council (U.S.). Committee on Education Finance, 1999
NC is all about Testing.
They test every single subject . They are evaluating teachers on the Test scores though the Doe Boy has 16 of the best and the Old Maid has 35 of the worst from the worst home situations.
They throw the Teacher-TESTERS under the bus. The students have all the power.
Don’t like the TESTER??Just make sure you score low and they will kick the Tester to the Curb.
They expect the Teacher-Testers to share with other Teacher-Testers and with the ones making the BIG BUCKS..No way they get what the Teacher-Testers spend 18 hours a day trying to find material to go with the CHAOTIC-SCATTERED-UNORGANIZED-SPREAD-OUT-10000 MILE LONG…1 inch deep ….curricula…..
Thank you for the Smooth Private Real Schools and though one does not make quite as much, they live much longer and are so happy!