School doors are finally unlocked. It's time to unlock education, too

As N.C. public schools open today, their parents need a window into what and how they learn.

Just a few weeks into the school year, my fifth-grader was already hopelessly behind. Missing assignments. Failing tests. Unable to do his math problems and unwilling to discuss any of it. 

It was the fall of 2020, and his classroom was our dining table. Every morning, he was to log on to Zoom along with the rest of his classmates and try to decipher the day's lessons and assignments. The messages simply didn't get across. 

My wife and I tried to listen in, but I was in the closing weeks of a statewide campaign, my job taking me from Waynesville and Morganton to Southport, Ayden and Mount Olive. My wife worked a full-time job as well, with her own slate of Zoom meetings and deadlines. Two other young children demanded our attention, and neither of us had the hours to spend sitting next to our 10-year-old, following along.

Before long, my wife and I huddled together in front of a laptop scree…