RESEARCH INITIATIVES


Research Initiatives

Principal Leadership Study

National and local research indicates a teacher’s decision to stay at a school largely depends upon the principal and his or her leadership in the school. Believing principal leadership may be the key to increasing teacher retention, Charlotte Advocates for Education (CAE), a local independent non-profit organization, has just released findings from its study, Role of Principal Leadership in Increasing Teacher Retention: Creating a Supportive Environment.

North Carolina Lottery for Education: What are the Odds Our School Would Win?
Presently North Carolina has a crippling budget crisis and is finding it very difficult to provide all public services, including education, by relying exclusively on broad-based taxes. This comes at a time when the courts are mandating that the State provide a basic education to all. Many states have turned to lotteries to help increase their coffers. As a result, there have been renewed discussions about bringing a lottery to North Carolina to help fund our public education. Before deciding whether a North Carolina lottery for education would benefit our students, Charlotte Advocates for Education has sought to answer whether a lottery is an effective alternative way to fund education by looking at the experiences of states with a lottery. This research paper seeks to examine

1. The impact of lotteries on funding for education, both negative and positive impact;
2. Whether lotteries are a reliable, sustainable source of annual income for education; and
3. Methods that could be used to ensure lottery funding supplements education funding and does not merely supplant existing funding.

For more information please review:

North Carolina Lottery for Education: What are the Odds Our Schools Would Win?

  • The Lottery Paper
  • The Lottery Paper: Executive Summary
  • Charlotte Advocates for Education Position and Rationale Concerning a NC Education Lottery
  • Charlotte Advocates for Education Call to Action

Community Guide to Understanding the School Budget (1996, 2002)

Publication which informs citizens about the difference in capital and operational expenses, the different sources of revenue for funding short-term and long-term needs, and the current and projected CMS budgets.

Research Reports

Brief explanations of specific educational issues, intended to serve as an education tool to assist individuals in making informed decisions. The Reports are not an analysis but, rather, a synthesis of a sample of the comprehensive literature available about the topics. Unless otherwise stated Charlotte Advocates for Education is not endorsing any of the issues, but merely providing general information for the community to make their own options.

CMS 2004-2005 Operating Budget
Comments to CMS Board of Education – March 23, 2004

Supporting Materials:
-Executive Summary: Committee for Economic Development

-Full Report: Committee for Economic Development

CMS 2003-2004 Operating Budget
Charlotte Advocates for Education announced at Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners Budget Public Hearing its support (in the below Resolution) of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools’ $280 million operating budget request. Lee Keesler of Wachovia, Charlotte Advocates for Education’s Board Chair adds, “We believe providing resources requested in the CMS proposed 2003-04 operating budget is absolutely essential for our youth, for our community.”

-“Fund Schools Adequately” (article in The Charlotte Observer 6-4-2003)
-CMS 2003-04 Operating Budget Resolution
-Advocates for Education Supports CMS 2003-04 Operating Budget Request

For supporting documentation please contact Advocates for Education at (704) 335-0100 or Cheryl Pulliam, Director of Research & Administration at: [email protected]

Community Assessment

Each year, Charlotte Advocates for Education conducts a survey of community attitudes, perceptions, and expectations regarding public education. The annual survey, which began in 1995, is comprehensive, covering a wide range of topics and tracking these measures from year to year.

State of Public Education Report (2000, 2002)

An annual report that explains the progress towards achieving the community’s goal of quality education.

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