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Tuesday, 18 June 2024
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Written by John Hood
Over the past two years, North Carolina had made critical investments in the future of our state.
No, I’m not talking about highway projects, or university R&D, or the private investment in new companies, locations, and workers facilitated by the legislature’s pro-growth tax and regulatory reforms.
These are, indeed, valuable instances of capital formation — of physical, intellectual, and human capital — but today I refer to a different piece of legislation.
In April 2021, the North Carolina General Assembly enacted the Excellent Public Schools Act. Gov. Roy Cooper signed it.
Among other things, the bill requires that literacy instruction in the state’s public schools be based on the science of reading, a term of art that describes a research-based consensus in favor of “phonological and phonemic awareness, phonics and spelling, fluency, vocabulary, oral language, and comprehension.”
After decades of “reading wars” between competing camps of educators, researchers, and policymakers, those advocating phonics as an indispensable tool for decoding words prevailed in both scholarly debate and practical results.
When the state of Mississippi rewrote its instructional approach to emphasize the science of reading, for example, its performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress dramatically improved — and not just in reading.
According to the most recent Urban Institute analysis of NAEP scores, Mississippi fourth-graders ranked second only to Florida in average reading scores adjusted for student background (which is the proper way to assess the value added by schooling).
The year Mississippi passed its science-of-reading bill, it ranked 40th in the subject. During this same period, Mississippi also rocketed to third in math scores, behind Florida and Texas. After all, learning how to read proficiently opens the door to learning other subjects.
North Carolina’s reading instruction was never as bad as Mississippi’s. Indeed, as I’ve often pointed out, our public schools have ranked high in value-added performance for many years (our fourth-graders rank sixth in reading and seventh in math, according to the Urban Institute analysis).
Nevertheless, our students have much to gain from the 2021 reforms. So far, we appear to be implementing them effectively. EdNC’s Hannah Vinueza McClellan reported last week that some 44,000 elementary school teachers have been trained in North Carolina’s LETRS program (which stands for Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling).
“We know how critical literacy is to student success,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt, “and I’m thankful for the passion and commitment of North Carolina educators to help our students achieve their goals.”
Early evidence suggests the new approach may be bearing fruit. From 2022 to 2024, there was a marked decline in the number of students rated below the state’s benchmark for reading fluency, accuracy, and comprehension. Minority students made especially strong gains.
It’s far too early to declare victory, of course, but it’s worth pausing for a moment to consider how this promising change in policy came about.
Nationally and within our state, education researchers and policy analysts across the spectrum were willing to follow the evidence on reading instruction wherever it led, even if it challenged their preconceived notions. Republican and Democratic lawmakers did the same — the Excellent Public Schools Act passed unanimously in the Senate and by a 113-5 margin in the
House — and appropriated $114 million to train teachers, instructional coaches, and administrators in the LETRS program.
North Carolina’s turn to the science of reading occurred within a national context. We were willing to learn from the practical experience of Mississippi and other jurisdictions.
Our legislation has, in turn, become a model for other legislatures to follow. That’s how public policy is supposed to happen.
And just to finish the thought: as promising as our initial experience seems to be, there are no guarantees. We may find that the early improvements in reading performance don’t persist into later grades. We may discover flaws in the LETRS training that require administrative or legislative tweaks.
Public policy is, itself, a learning process. Let’s all strive for fluency and comprehension.
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).
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Tuesday, 18 June 2024
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Written by Bill Bowman
Late Saturday evening, I received a nasty and cynical anonymous text from a person accusing and criticizing Up & Coming Weekly for befriending and promoting former WFNC's morning host, Bill Murphy (actually Brian Neil Holland), Cumulus's recent radio personality that Cumulus Media hired (and fired) at the beginning of the year to replace the retiring Jeffrey "Goldy" Goldberg. Well, U&CW did nothing to warrant such criticism.
A follow-up text from the anonymous person challenged me to do another article on Bill Murphy now that he (Brian Neil Holland) has been exposed as a career criminal and con man. My texted response to Anonymous was, "Look, you ‘has been,’ if you sign your text messages, the article will appear in the next edition of U&CW." And, as I suspected, my anonymous gloating critic entered his name, and it was Jeffrey "Goldy" Goldberg. You are reading the article I promised.
Goldy's text messages referred to an article I wrote on January 10 (www.upandcomingweekly.com/views/10322-community-talk-radio-is-back), to welcome Bill Murphy to the Fayetteville community and extend to him the same hospitality and professional courtesy we would any media newcomer. Our relationship and contact with Murphy occurred when Cumulus Media employed him.
We have had no affiliation with Murphy since he departed from the radio station, except for a speaking engagement at a local Republican Party Luncheon booked when he was the WFNC radio host. U&CW is also not involved in the conservative newspaper he allegedly planned to publish.
It's unfortunate but true that Bill Murphy is Brian Neil Holland, a Suffolk, Va., career criminal and con man. Goldy had a jubilant bluster over the recent discovery that some years back Holland had warrants served on him in Onslow County and Hertford County, N.C., charged with sexual battery and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and in Hertford County, N.C. for felony embezzlement of a small pizza business he managed there. Studying Holland's impressive resume and aligning it with his work history, it's obvious he was pretty crafty at staying one step ahead of the law. Holland appears to be a versatile con with experience and expertise in many career fields.
He boasts online of being a national on-air talk host, news director, radio station general manager, program director with a radio career that took him nationwide on dozens of syndicated stations. He also has claimed to be a journalist and newspaper publisher, the CEO of a live events production and promotion company, a political campaign consultant, a television program producer, and a sports and documentary programmer. Pretty impressive, huh?
I promised Goldy I would write this article, so I want to inform him of a few things. First, my January 10 article not only welcomed Murphy into our community but also commended Cumulus Media management for hiring a replacement who could be more open, well-rounded, fair, and balanced in their commentary, news, and information.
These attributes would benefit the entire Cumberland County community and not just the left-wing progressive zealots that Goldy catered to by bashing Donald Trump, Republicans, and conservatives at every opportunity.
Secondly, I want to remind Goldy that WFNC and Cumulus Media management hired Bryan Neil Holland, alias Bill Murphy, not the Up & Coming Weekly community newspaper. This begs the question: How can a media giant like Cumulus make such a colossal mistake? Who was doing the vetting? How many interviews did he go through? So, I must remind Goldy that my January article should not be criticized or portrayed as a personal endorsement of Murphy; Cumulus Media and WFNC management were solely responsible for his hiring and presence in our community.
So, this being said, Goldy's tacky text messages to me trying to shift the blame to U&CW for WFNC's poor personnel decision is morally and ethically wrong for several reasons. First, Goldy has undermined his own personal integrity and honesty. Accepting responsibility for one's actions is a fundamental aspect of ethical behavior.
When Goldy and Cumulus Media attempt to deflect blame for this poor judgment, they essentially lie, further eroding trust and damaging community relationships.
Secondly, this blame-shifting to me and the U&CW newspaper is unfair and unjust. Goldy is attempting to harm our reputation by trying to tie us into a situation we had nothing to do with. This is not only unethical but cowardly. It further demonstrates a reluctance to take responsibility for the situation.
In conclusion, I consider Goldy's failed attempt to shift and deflect the blame for the Murphy/Holland fiasco to be insulting to U&CW. If Goldy and Cumulus Media are to continue to live, operate and navigate in the Fayetteville/Cumberland County community I suggest they limit their attacks on the innocent and strive to enhance and advance more positive views focused on honesty and fairness. Both have much to contribute to the Fayetteville community. Taking responsibility for one's actions upholds ethical standards and fosters a positive, trustful, and responsive community environment.
Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly.
(Photos: Top Photo: Jeffrey "Goldy" Goldberg, former host of WFNC's Good Morning Fayetteville. Photo courtesy of WFNC Radio's Facebook page. Bottom Photo: Brian Neil Holland, also known as Bill Murphy, former host of WFNC's Good Morning Fayetteville. File photo)