RALEIGH (February 26, 2026) – More than two years ago, the North Carolina Supreme Court heard arguments in the latest chapter of Leandro v. State, the landmark case affirming that every child in this state has a constitutional right to a sound, basic education. Since then – silence. No ruling. No explanation. No clarity for… READ MORE
Roy Williams: ‘Let’s pay our teachers’
CHAPEL HILL (February 18, 2026) – Other than his mother, Coach Roy Williams says his biggest heroes are his teachers.1 “I’m very proud of North Carolina and want our state to be the best it can be,” Williams says in the accompanying video. “We need to aim higher. And I’m not talking about basketball. We… READ MORE
Is the NC Senate letting our state down?
By Doug Shackelford and Paul Fulton Public Ed Works RALEIGH (February 12, 2026) – It’s been nine months since the North Carolina House passed a bipartisan budget that would finally give our schoolchildren the support they need and the teachers the pay they deserve. The House plan would raise starting teacher salaries to $50,000 next… READ MORE
UNC should not close its Global Studies Centers
By Lloyd Kramer CHAPEL HILL (January 22, 2026) – The recent announcement that UNC-Chapel Hill plans to close its six thriving Global Studies Centers is the wrong response to current financial and political challenges. Although I retired from the History Department’s faculty in 2024, this plan for closing the Centers has provoked my Tar Heel… READ MORE
No Christmas for North Carolina
By Douglas Shackelford and Paul Fulton CHAPEL HILL (December 3, 2025) – Once again, for the second time in seven years, the NC General Assembly has failed to pass a budget.1 Our state stands alone as the only one in the country unable to complete its most basic responsibility. While every other state managed to fund… READ MORE
Invest in NC Teachers: Lessons from Walmart’s retention strategy
By Shawnice Meador Executive Director, Public Ed Works RALEIGH (November 20, 2025) – When Walmart made the bold decision in 2015 to raise its starting hourly wage by 24% – impacting nearly half its more than 1 million U.S. hourly employees –investors initially reacted with shock. Shares fell 10% in a single day, erasing $21.5… READ MORE
A pay cut for teachers
RALEIGH (November 13, 2025) – Teacher pay remains an essential issue in North Carolina – an issue ultimately for our most precious resource: Our children. And it’s not going away. Despite its rapid growth, our state ranks an embarrassing 43rd in average K-12 teacher pay.1 It has seen ghastly attrition among its teacher workforce for… READ MORE
Art Padilla: Tone deafness uninterrupted
WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH (July 18, 2025) – The financial and political attacks on universities are both extreme and broad-based. The collateral damage being done to our nation’s scientific capabilities is still impressively underestimated. The latest chapter in the decline of American science is the US Housing Department’s (HUD) brazen take-over, without previous warning, of the National… READ MORE
GERGEN: ‘Let’s not go back, let’s not go backward’
LEXINGTON, Mass. (July 16, 2025) – Durham native David Gergen died last week after serving a vast array of roles as a political insider: Communication advisor to four presidents, editor of U.S. News & World Report, CNN commentator, Duke and Harvard instructor. Gergen is remembered for his civility – a calm yet somehow forceful… READ MORE
King Prather: A father’s fear
By N. King Prather Public Ed Works CARY (July 2, 2025) – My daughter, Lindsey Prather, is a public servant, an elected government official. A former educator, at 36 she is the youngest female in the North Carolina legislature. I could not be more proud of her. I could not be more afraid for her… READ MORE
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