Friday Report - December 21, 2018

The Friday Report

December 21, 2018

Forum News

Happy Holidays from the Public School Forum!

The Friday Report will be back January 4th after the Holidays.

2019 Eggs & Issues Breakfast

If you would like to be added to a waitlist, please email our Program Coordinator, Irene Mone, at [email protected].

This year’s event will include a special taping of the Public School Forum’s weekly TV show “Education Matters” featuring an All-Star student and educator panel, as well as the release of our Top 10 Education Issues for 2019.

Event Details

Date: Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Time: 7:30 AM to 9:30 AM

Location: Marbles Kids Museum

201 East Hargett Street, Raleigh, NC

Sponsorship info available here

Education Matters: Encore Episodes

Due to preemptions and holiday schedules Education Matters will be airing encore episodes over the next 2 weeks. New episodes will return January 5th, 2019 with an episode featuring NC Community College System President Peter Hans.

December 22-23: Episode 84 – Importance of Principal Leadership

Guests: Tabari Wallace, 2018 NC Principal of the Year (pictured above, left); Dr. Shirley Prince, Executive Director, NC Principals & Assistant Principals’ Association.

December 29-30: Episode 82 – The New State Board of Education

Guests: Eric C. Davis, Chairman, State Board of Education; James E. Ford, Southwest Education Region, State Board of Education; J.B. Buxton, Member-At-Large, State Board of Education.

When and Where to Watch Education Matters

Saturday at 7:30 PM, WRAL-TV (Raleigh/Durham/Fayetteville)

Sunday at 8:00 AM, FOX 50 (Raleigh/Durham/Fayetteville)

Sunday at 6:30 AM and Wednesday at 9:30 AM, UNC-TV’s North Carolina Channel (Statewide)

The North Carolina Channel can be found on Time Warner Cable/Spectrum Channel 1276 or check your local listings and other providers here.

Online at ncforum.local.

Education Matters is also available as a podcast on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, Overcast, and Google Play Music.

State News

Controversial Town-Run Charter Schools May Spread, With Access To State Pensions

Photo Credit: Pedro Hespanha, Flickr Creative Commons.

A law that allows for town-run charter schools in four Charlotte suburbs has been criticized because it could lead to more racially segregated schools in that area. Now, a bill to offer state pensions to teachers at those proposed schools could make it easier for the model to spread to more cities.

That bill (S469) is on the governor’s desk awaiting veto or signature.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Schlemmer, L. “Controversial Town-Run Charter Schools May Spread, With Access To State Pensions.” WUNC. 12/20/18.

More Than 2,000 NC Teachers Failed a Math Licensing Exam. Now It May Be Dropped.

Photo Credit: Louis Bauer, Pexels.

The math exam that has made it difficult for hundreds of new North Carolina teachers to get their license could be phased out as early as February, based on a recent vote by a panel of state education experts.

In August, the state Board of Education learned that almost 2,400 elementary and special education teachers have failed the math portion of the licensing exam. Critics say the test requires middle and high school math skills that teachers of young children may not use, while failing to gauge whether licensing candidates will be effective teachers.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Doss Helms, A. “More than 2,000 NC teachers failed a math licensing exam. Now it may be dropped.” The Charlotte Observer. 12/18/18.

Amid NC Charter School Growth, Enrollment in Charlotte Schools Is Feast or Famine

Yan Han teaches a kindergarten class at East Voyager Academy, a Chinese immersion charter school that opened with grades K-4. Photo Credit: Diedra Laird, The Charlotte Observer.

North Carolina’s charter schools added almost 10,000 students this year, state tallies show. The Charlotte area continues as a hub of charter activity, with schools such as Lincoln, Lake Norman and Pine Lake Prep dwarfing others around the state.

Yet half a dozen Charlotte-area charter schools lost students this year, falling far below the numbers they projected when the state approved their independent boards to get public money for education. Because a charter school’s budget is based on enrollment, that leaves shrinking — and often struggling — charter schools with less money to educate their students, let alone market and rebuild.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Doss Helms, A. “Amid NC charter school growth, enrollment in Charlotte schools is feast or famine.” The Charlotte Observer. 12/19/18.

RSS Board Tables Lead Teachers at Restart School

Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education meeting. Photo Credit: Maggie Blackwell, EducationNC.

At the Rowan-Salisbury Schools’ Board of Education meeting on Monday night, Knox Middle School Principal Michael Courtwright asked for approval of “at-risk” bonuses for all staff as well as six new positions to serve as lead teachers.

Under Courtwright’s plan, all teachers would receive monthly stipends for a total annualized bonus of $4,000. Classified personnel would receive an annualized total of $1,000 to $2,500.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Blackwell, M. “RSS Board tables lead teachers at restart school.” EducationNC. 12/19/18.

NC Highlight

Want Your Students to Be Kinder? Try This Assignment

Photo Credit: Justin Parmenter.

This fall, gun violence created waves of panic and helplessness in my school district, Charlotte-Mecklenburg, when a freshman at Butler High School shot and killed a classmate in the hallway over a personal conflict. With Everytown for Gun Safety reporting more than 80 incidents of gunfire on American school grounds already this year, it had seemed like only a matter of time before a shooting touched our campus community.

How did we get to the point where such tragic events are now accepted as inevitable? How can we shift the interpersonal dynamics in our schools and in our society to make incidents like this less common?

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Parmenter, J. “Want Your Students to Be Kinder? Try This Assignment.” Education Week. 12/18/18.

National News

Does Money Matter for Schools? Why One Researcher Says the Question Is ‘Essentially Settled’

Educators wearing red and holding signs rally for more education funding at the Colorado Capitol on April 26, 2018. Photo Credit: Aaron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post.

“Throwing money at the problem” has long gotten a bad rap in education.

“The notion that spending more money is going to bring about different results is ill-placed and ill-advised,” U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos said last year. But a string of recent studies have undermined that perspective. Now, a new review of research drives another nail into the argument’s coffin.

The review looks closely at 13 studies focused on schools nationwide or in multiple states. Twelve found that spending more money meant statistically significant benefits for students, including rising test scores and high school graduation rates.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Barnum, M. “Does money matter for schools? Why one researcher says the question is ‘essentially settled.’” Chalkbeat. 12/17/18.

Winter Break Is Hard for So Many of Our Students

One year during the weeks leading up to the winter break, I asked my students to write about what they planned to do during their time off. Most wrote things like, “see my cousins,” “get a new gaming system,” and “go skiing.” However, one of my students turned in a blank piece of paper with just his name on it. When I asked him why he didn’t write anything, he reluctantly told me that he wasn’t excited for the break. He said all winter break meant to him was two weeks at home alone while his mother was passed out on the couch. No tree. No family dinners. Not even any presents.

It was in this moment that I realized not all students look forward to these extended breaks from school. While most kids (and teachers!) flee from school gleefully on the last day, many students like this one dread the break from school. They miss the structure of the school day, the stability of the classroom, the presence of friends, the food in the cafeteria, and the love their teachers give them.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Muir, T. “Winter Break Is Hard for So Many of Our Students.” We Are Teachers. 12/3/18.

DeVos to Rescind Obama-Era Guidance on School Discipline

Photo Credit: Win McNamee, Getty Images.

A federal commission led by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos recommends rescinding Obama-era guidance intended to reduce racial discrimination in school discipline. And, DeVos says, it urges schools to “seriously consider partnering with local law enforcement in the training and arming of school personnel.”

President Trump created the Federal Commission on School Safety following the mass shooting in February at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. While student survivors rallied for gun control, DeVos said early on that would not be a focus of the commission’s work.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Kamenetz, A. “DeVos To Rescind Obama-Era Guidance On School Discipline.” NPR. 12/18/18.

Opportunities

NC CAP’s POWER UP Program

Youth who regularly participate in high-quality programs develop strong social skills, are excited about learning, improve work habits and grades, improve school day attendance, have higher graduation rates, explore career paths and gain workforce skills. However, the North Carolina Center for Afterschool Programs (NC CAP) recognizes that many factors have the potential to serve as barriers or challenges for programs serving youth, especially those in rural communities. The purpose of the POWER UP Program and mini-grants is to provide programs in pre-determined rural counties with resources and on-going technical support over the course of two years to build program capacity.

Interested programs must currently serve youth afterschool, before school or during the summer months in one of the following counties:

Anson, Beaufort, Bertie, Bladen, Caswell, Columbus, Duplin, Edgecombe, Halifax, Hertford, Lenoir, McDowell, Martin, Nash, Northampton, Person, Richmond, Robeson, Rockingham, Scotland, Tyrrell, Vance, Warren, Washington or Wilson.

To learn more about this program, please visit: https://ncafterschool.org/power-up-program.

Applications for NC CAP’s POWER UP Program are due by December 30th and can be submitted here. Accepted programs will be notified in January.

Call for 2019-20 Kenan Fellowship Applications

Applications for 2019-20 Kenan fellowships will be accepted through Jan. 21, 2019. These fellowships address the critical need to develop and empower high-quality teachers who can drive innovations that make learning more authentic and engaging for students.

The fellowship begins with a summer internship in a higher education laboratory or local industry setting and is supported by 80 hours of professional development that focuses on instructional leadership, elevating teacher voice, strengthening ties between the school and the local community, peer coaching and mentoring, and growing professional learning networks that extend beyond the school and local district.

Fellowship projects have a unique set of criteria that in some cases is restricted by district, grade level, and subject. Projects vary from scientific research to work experiences in the agriculture, energy and high-tech manufacturing industries. Each Fellow is awarded at least a $5,000 stipend and must develop and implement relevant educational materials and/or programs based on their internship experience. Fellows remain in the classroom while completing the year-long fellowship.

Applicants must submit an essay detailing their desire to have influence beyond the classroom and two letters of recommendation. Final candidates are invited for an in-person interview to be conducted in their local area. Fellowships are based on funding and awarded each spring.

Want to learn more? Join us for a 2019-20 application information session from 3:30-4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018.

To join the session, follow this link and download Zoom. Please feel free to contact us at [email protected] should you have questions.

NC Teaching Fellows Applications Are Now Open

NC Teaching Fellows applications are now open. All applications must be submitted online by 11:59 PM (EST) on Monday, January 7, 2019.

Receive up to $4,125 per semester for up to eight semesters.
Study at a premier educator preparation program in North Carolina.
Benefit from meaningful program activities to enrich your studies.
Teach in a Special Education or STEM field in a North Carolina public school.

To learn more visit: https://myapps.northcarolina.edu/ncteachingfellows/.

FAST NC Fundraising Drive to Aid Public Schools

A historic storm has devastated parts of North Carolina. In response, a historic, bipartisan coalition of current and former state education leaders presented their effort to aid schools to the State Board of Education, promoting Florence Aid to Students and Teachers (FAST NC) as a drive to help North Carolina’s public schools as students and educators struggle to return to normal.

Hurricane Florence caused at least 1.2 million, or about 80 percent, of North Carolina’s public school students to miss some school. Many school buildings are damaged, and several school districts are still closed due to displacement, flooding and storm-related disruptions. Now, FAST NC has brought together an illustrious steering committee for the effort to help schools recover.

To learn more about FAST NC and how to donate, click here.

The Friday Report is published weekly by the Public School Forum of NC and is distributed to Forum members, policymakers, donors, media, and Forum subscribers. Archived editions can be found at ncforum.local.