Message from PEFNC President, Darrell Allison

April 20, 2010 | Posted in
in

Here at Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina (PEFNC), our mission is to inform parents and citizens of the benefits of expanded educational options, and we seek to empower parents to exercise the freedom to meet their children’s needs. In short, PEFNC seeks to find real solutions to how we can effectively better our educational system for all children in North Carolina.

It has long been recognized that two large challenges face state policymakers: reducing the dropout rate and closing the achievement gap. Solving such big problems is not just a "Democrat thing" or a "Republican thing,” but the right thing. Unfortunately, all too often, partisan politics get in the way of educational policy. But, no matter what side of the aisle you're on, one thing is clear--the problems in our educational system require immediate solutions.
 
Within the past year, other states such as Tennessee and, more recently, Illinois have taken bipartisanship to a new level in the realm of education reform.  These states have taken steps to raise the cap on charter schools and to approve measures for K-12 opportunity scholarships, respectively. 
 
Now it is North Carolina’s turn. Our tremendous achievement gap for minority and low-income students has bred an out-of-control dropout rate and an ever increasing suspension/expulsion rate. North Carolina's children and families need more options.
 
I personally want to invite you to join us at two educational forums entitled, “Identifying Real Solutions for the K-12 Achievement Gap.” These events will explore the challenges of adequately educating all children, particularly low-income and minority students, whose performance scores reflect the state's troublesome achievement gap and high dropout rate.
 
The town hall format will enable parents and community leaders to share opinions and questions about K-12 education across all sectors--traditional public schools, public charter schools and nonpublic schools.
 
Your presence and participation are critical. Don't miss this opportunity to make a difference and to be heard in Raleigh!

Comments

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on July 28, 2010 - 1:50pm.
I commend you on setting the goal to improve the education of North Carolina youth. I would also hope that you include the adults as well. Ever since the Federal Government took over education, it has steadily declined. We seriously need to focus on North Carolina, and do that ONLY by, developing our own standards, starting at the local level, and staying within the confines of what North Carolinians can afford. We MUST get off the Federal dole system because it carries with it mandates that consume time and money that do not contribute to a better education for our citizens. We are not Consumers, we are citizens and our tax dollars should be used wisely and directly for quality education. Please avoid change for change sake, and avoid "new and improved" ways of teaching. We need to stick to the old tried and true, before Federal intervention, methods and subjects to teach. I refer to the usual Math, Sciences, and Social Studies [history], but would bring back some lost topics. Namely: 1. Reasoning and common sense. Students are not allowed to think for them selves but told what to believe and only with in the box. 2. History should not be just memorizing dates, but the understanding the political and social climate that existed around those dates so one could get a feel and understanding of why these events may have happened the way they did. 3. Lastly, teach individuals to not take what they "hear/learn in school" or see on TV on the "Main Stream Media" shows and documentaries, as totally factual. The individual need to reconfirm and or modify their understanding by doing their own research in alternative sources of information, ie books, studies, hearings, historical records, or in some cases doing their own actual translations of documents not writen in their native language. Our Founding Fathers were more knowledgeable than 80 % of the population today because they did extensive reading and research to understand history, people, and political / social systems as well as their basic math and science. We need to create North Carolina citizens that are as equally educated as our Founding Fathers were and instill in them the same drive and desire to "seek the Truth" thru their own research. Thank you for your time and efforts to improve the Education our fellow citizens.

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