• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Public School Forum

Public School Forum

A think-and-do tank committed to North Carolina public schools

  • Who We Are
    • Our Mission
    • Our Team
    • Our Board of Directors & Advisory Members
    • Work with Us
  • Our Centers
    • Dudley Flood Center for Educational Equity & Opportunity
    • NC Center for Afterschool Programs
    • NC Center for Resilience & Learning
  • Our Programs
    • Rural Teacher Leader Network
    • Education Policy Fellowship Program
    • Education Matters
    • NC Education Partners
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Op-Eds & Analysis
  • Resources
    • Policy Analysis, Briefs, and Research
    • Newsletters
    • Op-Eds & Analysis
    • 2022 Election Resources
  • Events
    • Eggs & Issues Breakfast
    • Jay Robinson Education Leadership Award & Gala
    • Synergy
    • Color of Education
    • Education Primer Sessions
    • All Upcoming Events
  • Donate
  • Our Partners
    • Forum Partners Program
    • Our Supporters
    • Donate

Subscribe to Our Newsletters

Subscribe to the following newsletters:(Required)
Name(Required)
Email(Required)

Get Connected with an Expert

Name(Required)
What area(s) of expertise are you seeking?

Report Highlights Where Young People Face the Greatest Obstacles to Success in North Carolina

April 29, 2020 by Elizabeth Paul

RALEIGH, NC (April 29, 2020) – A new report released today by the Public School Forum of North Carolina and its NC Center for Afterschool Programs (NC CAP) highlights large areas of North Carolina where young people are at risk of not succeeding. The report, Roadmap of Need 2020, was released today, during the week that NC CAP would have held its 16th annual Synergy Conference in Greensboro. That event has been rescheduled for July 28-31, 2020 in Greensboro.

 

First published by the Public School Forum of North Carolina and NC CAP in 2010, the Roadmap of Need uses data on health, youth behavior and safety, education, and economic development to take a whole child needs assessment of what young people living in each of North Carolina’s 100 counties must have in order to thrive in school and in life.

 

According to the 2020 report, the five top counties where young people have the greatest likelihood for success are Orange, Wake, Union, Dare and Watauga. The bottom five counties where young people are most at risk are Robeson, Halifax, Vance, Washington and Scotland. The makeup of the top five this year sees Dare and Watauga counties displacing Henderson and Moore counties; while Northampton and Edgecombe counties moved out of the bottom five this year.

 

“Ten years after first publishing the Roadmap of Need, the fact that our state is now divided into ‘two North Carolinas’ is a reality that we continue to grapple with,” said Dr. Michael D. Priddy, Interim Executive Director and President of the Public School Forum of NC.  “Our state is one where the zip code in which you live matters too much, leaving so many of our children with access only to underfunded schools, few high quality out-of-school programs and limited options for healthy activities.”

 

At first glance, the Roadmap points to counties in eastern North Carolina as those most at risk. However, the nature of county-wide indicators often masks the variation occurring within counties, particularly our most populous urban counties where neighborhoods that alone would be viewed as thriving on the Roadmap indicators exist in close proximity to neighborhoods with many young people in need.

 

Over the past several years, the Roadmap has been a key resource for afterschool providers and other education organizations when communicating with policymakers, funders, and citizens about the importance of their services, and to target areas for increased investment. School administrators, central office staff, nonprofits, community leaders, and parent advocates also use the Roadmap to demonstrate to others the needs faced by their communities. Public education advocates have brought Roadmap data to the attention of school board members, county commissioners, and members of the General Assembly in order to inform their efforts to create state and local policies that address significant community needs. 

 

A copy of the report can be downloaded below.

About the North Carolina Center for Afterschool Programs (NC CAP)

 

The North Carolina Center for Afterschool Programs is a statewide after-school and expanded learning network dedicated to increasing access to high quality after-school and expanded learning programs for all children and youth in North Carolina, helping them to succeed in and out of school. Our work includes research and best practices in the afterschool and expanded learning environment; convening key stakeholders (national, state, and local); advocating for policies to support afterschool and expanded learning; and professional development and technical support for afterschool programs. 

 

Follow us on Twitter @ncafterschool and visit our website at www.ncafterschool.org. Synergy is the only statewide conference bringing together providers of out-of-school time programs, along with education and community stakeholders.

 

About the Public School Forum of North Carolina

 

Since 1986, the Public School Forum of North Carolina has been an indispensable and nonpartisan champion of better schools and the most trusted source in the state for research and analysis on vital education issues. We bring together leaders from business, education and government to study education issues, develop ideas, seek consensus, and ultimately inform and shape education policy. We do that through research, policy work, innovative programs, advocacy, and continuing education for educators and policymakers. Follow us on Twitter @theNCForum and visit our website at https://www.ncforum.org/. 

###

Category iconPress Releases,  Roadmap of Need

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Tammi D. Ward says

    November 8, 2020 at 9:01 pm

    This was a very interesting document that I did not know existed. The data would be good to use in grant applications to supplement Tier I data. Some of the areas surprised me in the Youth Behavior and Safety rankings. More time needs to be spend in understanding the rankings. I will begin to follow through Twitter the sites for NC CAP and NCFORUM

    Reply
  2. Colin McDavid says

    November 24, 2020 at 10:36 am

    THe road map of need is a definite eye opener. It has hard to believe that in 2020 that so many young people face several obstacles to success in relation to where they reside.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Footer

Contact

1017 Main Campus Drive
Suite 2300
Raleigh, NC 27606
919-781-6833
info@ncforum.org

Recent Tweets

#NCED On the latest @NCEDmatters we were joined by students from New Hanover County as well as @Kayce23Smith and @BettinaUmstead to discuss the importance of student voice. Watch the full episode now: youtube.com/watch?v=0cvC-p…

About 4 hours ago

RT @ncecf Some of our team attended #EggsandIssues23 last week. Here is our reflection on the highlights from @theNCForum, Prioritizing NC Funding & Education Pay buff.ly/3x0yEQ5 pic.twitter.com/HOQY2zDJMC

Yesterday

Our state’s economy is booming, but we must do more to prepare North Carolinians for the jobs of today and tomorrow. Mark your calendar for Feb. 6th and join @myFutureNC’s virtual State of Educational Attainment event. #2MillionBy2030 #NCED Register: form.jotform.com/223534139765… pic.twitter.com/nZaX9OqSZl

About 2 days ago

RT @nckhui If you compare the 2018-19 & 2022-23 school years, there's been a 200% increase in the number of North Carolina teacher vacancies on the 40th day of classes. In 2018-19, there were 1,698.05 vacancies. That figure has tripled to 5,091.46 vacancies this school year. #nced #ncpol pic.twitter.com/UUu2sFCwC3

About 4 days ago

#NCED "There are a lot of stakeholders in public education and no one wants to feel ignored. However, if we do not prioritize the voice of school’s main stakeholders, their students, we’re missing the point," writes @maryannwolfed. Read more: ncforum.org/2023/the-final…

About 4 days ago

Follow @thencforum

Our Mission

For more than 30 years the Public School Forum of North Carolina has served as an indispensable and nonpartisan champion of better schools. We bring together individuals and institutions from business, education and government to study education issues, develop ideas, seek consensus, and ultimately inform and shape education policy.

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2023 · Public School Forum of North Carolina

All Rights Reserved · Website by Tomatillo Design