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No silver bullet for school woes

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Tuesday, 09 April 2024

Written by John Hood

Because of the tremendous benefits conferred by better education, it would be great if policymakers knew precisely what silver bullets to fire to eliminate obstacles to higher achievement.
But obstacles to achievement aren’t werewolves. They are complex and deeply rooted, not simple and fictional.
Unfortunately, far too many political discussions of education reform turn into debates about how best to cast silver bullets.
Some years ago, the magical ammunition of choice was the idea of making schools smaller. It attracted media attention, foundation funding, and political momentum. There was some early research support for the cause, which also seemed like common sense: smaller schools would be easier to manage and differentiate, allowing more innovation and individualized instruction.
Like so many other education-reform fads, however, policymakers let a few successful cases and a plausible theory displace critical thinking and patient evaluation. They didn’t look before they leaped. States and districts across the country hurried to break up existing schools and found new, smaller ones. The results proved to be mixed and, in many cases, disappointing.
It turns out that, yes, some students thrive in smaller schools. They feel safer and receive more attention. Some principals and teachers also do their best work in smaller schools.
But for other students and educators, the tradeoffs aren’t to their advantage. Smaller schools may lack the scale necessary to justify the high-level courses that challenge the gifted or the extracurricular programs that keep some students excited about school.
If policymakers had studied the issue more carefully, they wouldn’t have greeted the small-school movement with unrealistic expectations. Over the past quarter-century, scholars have published more than 100 peer-reviewed studies in academic journals exploring the relationship between school size and student performance.
In roughly a third, smaller schools were associated with higher achievement. In half, there was no statistically significant relationship between school size and outcomes. In the rest of the studies, smaller schools were linked to
lower student achievement.
Importantly, these findings do not suggest that there are no benefits to be had from smaller schools. They may be precisely what the doctor ordered for some students. But policymakers shouldn’t expect a general program of downsizing public schools to result in substantial improvements in efficiency or effectiveness. Other factors play a larger role in shaping student achievement.
And for small schools that do have a strong track record of success, size may be only part of a larger bundle of characteristics — a shared vision, a dynamic leader, rigorous curriculum, community support — that can’t easily be replicated.
Indeed, some of the studies finding benefits from small schools are really finding benefits from new, innovative schools — those that naturally begin their existence with small enrollments but then retain their effectiveness even as
they grow larger.
A 2013 study in the Journal of Urban Economics, for example, found that when New York City broke up existing high schools into smaller units, there wasn’t necessarily any effect on graduation rates or other outcome measures, whereas newly founded small schools did outperform other high schools in the city.
Policymakers out to improve education shouldn’t discard the silver bullet of small schools in search of a new silver bullet. They should abandon that search altogether and approach the problem differently.
After setting rigorous standards and ensuring that there will be independent assessments of student performance to provide critical information to parents, educators, and taxpayers, they should then largely get out of the way and let districts, schools, and educators make their own choices about operational matters.
It’s best to think about school reform as a process of discovery and replication, not one of social engineering and bureaucratic compliance.
Unlike small schools, school autonomy does offer consistent benefits. About two-thirds of peer-reviewed studies find a statistically significant link between the degree of school autonomy and student outcomes.
Some autonomous schools — be they public or private — choose to keep total enrollments low. Others don’t. As long as they get results, who cares?

Editor’s Note: John Hood is a John Locke Foundation board member. His latest books, Mountain Folk and Forest Folk, combine epic fantasy with early American history (FolkloreCycle.com).

Publisher's Pen: City Council votes on symbolic resolution ... Or did they?

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Tuesday, 09 April 2024

Written by Bill Bowman

At the last City Council meeting the members of the Fayetteville City Council voted down a proposal to adopt a “resolution in support of immigrant communities in Fayetteville.” Good for them. After all, Fayetteville has an indisputable reputation for being one of the friendliest and most diverse communities in the country.
Regardless of whether this resolution was symbolic or not, it's absurd and insulting to even insinuate we must mandate such humanity. Sure, liberal- progressive communities like Chapel Hill and Carboro cowed down to North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper's left-wing progressive wishes, but in Fayetteville, trying to endorse and pass such a resolution in our community disrespects citizens of our proud heritage.
There is another disturbing aspect of that proposed resolution and the way it was voted on. The resolution was voted down with a 4-4 split vote. The City Council is made up of 9 District Representatives and the Mayor. The vote should equal 10, not 8.
Hmmm? Perhaps we should be concerned that our elected officials are not representing their constituents or taking their responsibilities seriously.
The 4-4 vote resulted when Councilman Mario Benavente proposed the motion introducing the symbolic resolution, and it was then supported by Council Members Brenda McNair and Courtney Banks-McLaughlin who were present at the meeting.
The fourth "yes" vote came courtesy of Deno Hondros who was not present at the meeting and was credited with an "unexcused" absence. Regardless of motion, an unexcused absence results in an automatic “yes” vote. (I contacted Loren Bymer, Director of Marketing and Communications for the city, to define what is considered an "unexcused absence " vs. an excused absence. His office has not responded.)
Kudos to Mayor Colvin, and Council Members Lynne Greene, Malik Davis, and Mayor Pro Tem Kathy Jensen who voted NO against the resolution. But, what about Council Members Derrick Thompson and D.J. Haire?
What was their vote? What were their comments and where did they weigh in on this issue? The answer is: they didn't.
Both were officially excused from the meeting by the council, so their absence did not count in the vote. So, is this how they are going to continue representing their constituents by manipulating absences?
If so, you can be assured that the outcomes will never be in favor of the citizens. Another question comes to mind: When a Council Member has an unexcused absence do they get paid for that meeting or is their salary adjusted?
Support immigrant communities in Fayetteville? You bet we do. Fayetteville is known nationwide for its diverse population and warm, friendly, hospitable outreach to all nationalities.
If any city councilman feels the need to introduce and vote on a symbolic resolution, let it be one recognizing Fayetteville as a community of History, Heroes and a Hometown Feeling. This includes our immigrants.
Thanks for reading the Up & Coming Weekly community newspaper, and I hope to see you in September at the International Folk Festival when we celebrate our diverse heritage.

Make like a tree and leave

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Tuesday, 09 April 2024

Written by Pitt Dickey

Love is a many splintered thing. Time to hop into Mr. Peabody’s Way Back Machine back into the wonderful world of Greek Mythology. Remember our old friend Daphne? If you skipped class the day Daphne was discussed, you are in luck. Daphne was a Naiad. Naiads are beautiful woodland nymphs who hang out around water features like fountains, ponds, and streams.
Her Daddy Peneus was a River God. Daphne was minding her own business when as luck would have it, Apollo, the God of poetry and light, got into a ruckus with Eros the God of Love.
Daphne ends up as collateral damage due to the fuss between Apollo and Eros. Pro tip: Eros is now known popularly as Cupid, the God of Love, chocolate, flowers, and men buying the wrong gift for their lady person.
In a win like NC State beating Dook in the NCAA tournament, Apollo had just gotten back into town after whaling the tar out of a substantially mean nasty dragon named Python. Flush with success and arrogant about his victory, Apollo bumped into Eros at the sauna at Mount Olympus. Eros was famous for shooting arrows into mortals to make them fall in love. Apollo trash-talked to Eros, bragging his defeat of Python made Eros’ puny love arrows look silly. This jab did not sit well with Eros who was defensive about his job making people fall in love.
To prove he was not a God to be trifled with, Eros shot a gold tipped arrow into Apollo’s heart making Apollo fall in love with Daphne. To make Apollo’s life miserable (and incidentally Daphne’s life as well), Eros shot a lead-tipped arrow into Daphne which made her want to avoid men at all costs.
The lead-tipped arrow had the same effect on Daphne that Suboxone has on heroin addicts. Gentle Reader, you can see where this is going. The late great Possum, country superstar George Jones, sang about this very situation in his song “The Race is On”: “Now the race is on/ And here comes pride up the backstretch/ Heartache’s a-going to the inside/ My tears are holding back/ Trying not to fall/ … My heart’s out of the running/ The race is on/ And the winner loses all.”
Apollo was smitten with Daphne as only a God injected with a golden arrowhead could be smitten. Like Ernest T. Bass’ unrequited love for the beautiful Rowena, like Running Bear loved Little White Dove with a love as big as the sky; Apollo loved Daphne with a love that could not die. Apollo became Daphne’s stalker.
He begged and pleaded with her to no avail. The lead arrow turned Daphne off to all men. Another dude, Leucippus, was so taken with Daphne that he disguised himself as a woman to get close to her. Like Tony Curtis and Marilyn Monroe in “Some Like it Hot,” Leucippus became Daphne’s best friend while disguised as a woman. Their closeness grossly aggravated Apollo.
Being a God, he caused Daphne and her merry band of nymphs to decide to go swimming in a river. This was before bathing suits were invented. Everyone had to strip down nekkid to take a dip. When Leucippus had to undress, his shortcomings as a woman were revealed to the nymphs. They did not take kindly to being fooled and stabbed him to death.
Apollo’s pursuit of Daphne resumed unabated. Apollo’s unwanted persistence foreshadowed Sting’s hymn to stalking “Every Breath You Take”: “…Every breath you take/ And every move you make/ Every bond you break/ Every step you take/ I’ll be watching you.” Finally, exhausted by Apollo’s advances, about to be kissed, and backed into a proverbial corner, Daphne called on her father Peneus to save her from Apollo.
Dear old Dad did what any loving father would do to save his daughter. Peneus turned Daphne into a laurel tree. The transformation was complete. Her hair turned into leaves, her skin turned into bark, her feet became roots, and her face turned into the canopy of the tree. She was no more.
Even Daphne’s treemongrification did not quench Apollo’s ardor. Apollo became the first tree hugger. Apollo could feel Daphne’s heart beating while he hugged her tree. Apollo is reported to say: “My bride since you can never be, at least, sweet laurel, you shall be my tree. My lure, my locks, my quiver you shall wreathe.” His pledge of love is almost as sweet as when Andy Griffith sang: “Sure as the vine twines ‘round the stump/ You are my darlin’ sugar lump.”
Apollo was so taken with laurel trees that he used laurel leaves to crown the winners of the early Olympics. This habit caught on. That is why laurel leaves are awarded as prizes to winners of various contests to this day.
As Paul Harvey used to say: “Now you know the rest of the story.” So go rest on your laurels.

Sales tax rules don’t make sense

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Tuesday, 02 April 2024

Written by John Hood

I think the North Carolina General Assembly deserves loads of credit for making our tax code friendlier to growth, investment, and freedom. In one respect, however, the state still imposes too heavy a load. It requires too many out-of-state retailers to collect and remit sales taxes. Lawmakers ought to fix this problem when they reconvene April 24.
Yes, I know it may sound odd to prioritize a tax change that, by definition, won’t benefit businesses based here. But hear me out. Our current filing threshold is unfair and out of step with that of most Southeastern states. Moreover, changing it will have only a modest impact on our future revenues.
First, some background. Until fairly recently, a state or local jurisdiction couldn’t really compel a company to charge and remit sales taxes unless it was headquartered or had a substantial physical footprint in the jurisdiction.
The rise of online commerce rendered that standard increasingly hard to defend. In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a pivotal decision in a case called South Dakota vs. Wayfair. Rather than requiring a physical presence in a jurisdiction to establish a “nexus” for tax purposes, the majority ruled that it would be enough to have a significant economic presence in the jurisdiction.
In other words, if a company in Oregon does a substantial amount of business with consumers in North Carolina, the company ought to be required to collect and pay sales tax to North Carolina. Otherwise, competing retailers in North Carolina have to shoulder higher compliance costs and charge higher prices (because there’s a sales tax embedded in them).
Moreover, the argument goes, that governments charge sales taxes in order to pay for public services. While it makes intuitive sense that businesses with a physical presence in a jurisdiction collect taxes to help pay for the services that make their operations possible, even remote sellers and their customers benefit from some public services (one example might be courts for adjudicating potential disputes) and thus ought to have a role in financing those services. Rightly or wrongly, the four-justice majority agreed.
Now, Wayfair doesn’t allow governments to compel all retailers in the country to collect and remit sales taxes, regardless of how much business they do within a given jurisdiction. The justices ruled that small retailers ought not be unduly burdened, though they left it up to states to set the minimum thresholds that would trigger sales-tax liability.
Manish Bhatt, a senior policy analyst at the Tax Foundation, observed in a recent study that states with sales taxes have chosen three different solutions. Twenty-five states — including our neighbors South Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia — use a minimum dollar amount of retail sales as the threshold. Another 19 states, including North Carolina, require that retailers with a minimum revenue or a minimum number of retail transactions in their jurisdictions collect and remit sales taxes. Finally, Connecticut and New York require both a minimum revenue and a minimum number of transactions to trigger sales-tax liability.
Bhatt argued that the transactions threshold should go. “Establishing economic nexus through transactions alone is quite burdensome,” he wrote, “as compliance costs associated with collection and remittance requirements could be greater than the business transacted.”
North and South Carolina illustrate the difference. Both states have set the minimum sales figure at $100,000 a year. But only North Carolina requires that out-of-state retailers with less than $100,000 in annual sales still file taxes if they conduct at least 200 transactions in the current or prior year.
If your company is doing less than $100,000 in sales here, your “economic presence” in North Carolina is minuscule. Our sales-tax rule may make you doing business here a waste of your time. I’d rather let North Carolinians decide from whom they buy goods and services. Our state should adopt South Carolina’s standard.

Editor’s note: John Hood is a John Locke Foundation board member. His latest books, Mountain Folk and Forest Folk, combine epic fantasy with early American history (FolkloreCycle.com).