By Francis Koster, Ed. D.

For the Salisbury Post

Do you remember when your teacher used to loudly knock on their desk to get your attention?

I am knocking. Loudly. And you need to pay attention.

North Carolina has over one and a third million kids in our public K-12 schools. According to the most comprehensive national K-12 school ranking system, North Carolina kids go to schools that rank 43rd in school quality in America. They also go to schools where the state legislature’s annual funding is around $5,000 below the national average. 

And the kids’ lives are damaged.

When researchers dig deeply into the key ingredients of student success, they find that the quality of teachers is important — but their effectiveness can be decreased by factors outside the classroom. Support systems have to be in place.

Vital actions schools can take that the legislature has been underfunding include:  

School security

The most important way to support student learning appears to be by having a system of school security that everyone trusts. An environment that parents and children perceive to be safe considerably lowers anxiety, allowing the mind to more easily engage in learning.

In a 2018 study administered by the Research Alliance for New York City Schools, “Researchers found that of four dimensions of school climate …. safety was most strongly correlated with academic improvement for students.

Teacher turnover rate

If teachers quit during the school year, student learning drops — particularly in schools with a low-income student population that is most in need of stability. An eight-year study of 850,000 students in New York found that teacher turnover considerably lowered both English and math scores.

In North Carolina, researchers found that students who lose a teacher have significantly lower test scores than average, with the most harmful impact caused when teachers leave between December and April.

School building quality

A third component of learning support is the quality of the building — the noise level, quality of lighting and quality and quantity of classroom air. This is not new knowledge; studies going back 50 years have pointed this out. Many old buildings have poor indoor air quality, increasing asthma rates in teachers and students, and compromising students’ ability to learn. The age and performance of a school building is a larger predictor of teacher departure than low pay.

The role of school nurses

The recommended ratio of nurses to students before COVID was one nurse for every 750 students. Currently, North Carolina’s ratio is 1 to 833.  

And now the “pop quiz”

Why is North Carolina’s General Assembly failing to support our school systems?  

North Carolina has the resources to seize the opportunities outlined above and help more than a million of our kids. Yet our state legislature’s funding for public school students is among the worst in the country. 

Why are they doing this?

Dr. Koster lives in Kannapolis. He spent the majority of his working life as an administrator in pediatric healthcare. Since his retirement from paid employment, he has been working full time (as a volunteer) on issues that prevent children from reaching their full potential. You can see the results of that work at www.thepollutiondetectives.org  and www.theoptimisticfuturist.org. Contact him at Fkoster234@aol.com or 904-616-8024.