RALEIGH – Perhaps because it has a constitutional mandate for it, North Carolina is known across the country for strong support of its public universities. The state continues to rank among the best in state spending per university student. But state support per student is still well below where it was before the Great Recession…. READ MORE
Community Colleges: Not keeping up
RALEIGH – North Carolina’s community colleges are respected and loved by their communities – 58 colleges spread throughout the state, within a 30-minute drive of 95% of North Carolinians. And they are a critical link in North Carolina’s workforce and economic development. Enrollment tends to jump at community colleges during recessions, as workers – some… READ MORE
K-12: Progress, but a long way to go
RALEIGH – North Carolina’s spending on K-12 public education took a hit during and after the Great Recession – and it still hasn’t fully recovered. Compared with its neighbors, North Carolina’s spending per student ranked 8th of 11 Southeastern states in 2017-18.1 North Carolina both lags adjacent states – trailing South Carolina by $2,385 per… READ MORE
K-12 teacher pay: A widening gap?
RALEIGH – A major component in education spending, of course, is teacher pay. A quality teacher can make an enormous difference in a child’s future. North Carolina’s national rank in K-12 teacher peaked in 2001, when the state’s average teacher salary reached a rank of 19th in the nation. In 2000-01, the average salary for… READ MORE
Where We Stand: Pre-K
Pre-K Make no mistake, quality pre-kindergarten matters to higher education – it has implications for third-grade reading proficiency, eighth-grade math1 and placing students on a trajectory that leads to a degree and a well-paying job. After launching its NC Pre-K program in 2001, North Carolina grew enrollment to 22% of its 4-year-olds over the next… READ MORE