Raleigh, N.C. — North Carolina students are entering high school unprepared and the public school system is failing them, a Superior Court judge, who has pushed education reform in poor school districts for nearly a decade, said Monday.
"Your instructional leadership is not doing the job in the classroom," Judge Howard Manning told a group of local educators, legislators and testing experts who comprise the state Board of Education's Blue Ribbon Commission on Testing and Accountability.
"There are too many kids not getting a sound, basic education or the opportunity to have a sound, basic education in high schools," he said.
Manning, who has overseen the Leandro case – which found the state provided inadequate support to schools in rural areas – said he was disheartened by poor proficiency test scores and said the time for excuses he has heard from low-performing schools he has visited is over.
"We've got an obligation under our constitution to give our children an education, whether they are black and poor or white and rich."
Manning suggested proficiency tests in sixth and seventh grades to see if students are prepared. He also believes schools need to get rid of teachers who are not doing their jobs.
"(The students) don't stand a snowball's chance in hell unless the teacher is a qualified teacher under the constitution standard that is the law."
Committee members said they would consider Manning's message.
"Judge Manning's message is very harsh, but it will be a very harsh economy if (students) don't succeed at high levels," state school Superintendent June Atkinson said. "We, as adults, need to take that message of harshness and turn that message into something that will be beneficial and positive for our students."
Manning said he has visited many of the state's low-performing high schools and that although they are always welcoming and appear to be making efforts to improve test scores, the results are still below where they should be.
In his opinion, consultants sent in to help schools improve have not been effective.
He said the excuse he hears – that the state has made tests harder – is a poor excuse for poor performance.
“I will not back off of what's got to be in that classroom, because that's the law," he said.
Judge: Public Schools Failing N.C. Students
- Reporter: Amanda Lamb
- Photographer: Chad Flowers
- Web Editor: Kelly Gardner
Copyright 2009 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
200 Comments
-
- Deadly wrecks mar Thanksgiving holiday
Updated at 4:17 p.m. |
- Stores prepare for Black Friday
Posted at 5:22 p.m. |
- Volunteers rise early to feed needy
Updated at 3:30 p.m. | Slideshow - Durham woman receives kidney from son
Posted 20 minutes ago - Perdue appears everywhere, in contrast to Easley
Updated at 5:44 p.m.
- Deadly wrecks mar Thanksgiving holiday
- Most Viewed Slideshows
- Grocery store keeps its family appeal for decades
Posted Nov. 25 7:49 p.m. - Pet Photos | November 23 - November 29, 2009
Updated at 5:18 p.m. - Small plane crashes in Chatham County
Updated Nov. 25 9:12 p.m.
- Grocery store keeps its family appeal for decades
Photo Spotlight
-
Bands, marchers in holiday paradeChoose your group to watch their performance in the 2009 WRAL-TV Raleigh Christmas Parade.
-
Web only: Complete 2009 WRAL-TV Raleigh Christmas ParadeWatch the parade in its entirety from the comfort of your computer any time.
-
Search for missing IRS refundsThe Internal Revenue Service released the names this week of more than 100,000 taxpayers who have not received their 2009 income tax refund.
-
North Carolina unemployment ratesView an interactive map with county unemployment numbers.
-
A year of N.C. Drought MapsView a time lapse animation of drought conditions during the last year.











STORIES
VIDEOS
SLIDESHOWS


Welcome to GOLO, where WRAL.com visitors can comment on stories and create profile pages, blogs and photo galleries.
You must be a registered WRAL.com user to use these tools. Click here to register or log in.