Friday Report – February 23, 2018

The Friday Report

February 23, 2018

NC Lawmakers May Consider Arming Teachers Following School Shootings

House Speaker Tim Moore announced Tuesday that he’s forming a new school safety committee that will be charged with developing recommendations for how to improve safety in the state’s schools. 

Photo Credit: WBTV.

A new state legislative committee may consider arming North Carolina teachers in the aftermath of last week’s mass school shooting in Florida.

House Speaker Tim Moore announced Tuesday that he’s forming a new school safety committee that will be charged with developing recommendations for how to improve safety in the state’s schools. During a press conference Tuesday in Shelby, a reporter asked Moore if the committee will consider arming school faculty. Moore said the committee will look at a myriad of issues and get feedback from school districts and law enforcement.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

To read more about this topic, see the following article:

Dismissing Gun Law Changes, A Top Lawmaker Wants to Volunteer Officers Guarding NC Schools 

Excerpt from:

Hui, K. “NC lawmakers may consider arming teachers following school shootings.” The News & Observer. 2/20/18.

Charter Schools Could Get More Money If NC Lawmakers Overhaul K-12 Funding System

Jalin Alleyne a fourth-grader at Hope Charter Leadership Academy, learns the phases of the moon during science class on Nov. 9, 2017, in Raleigh. Photo Credit: Robert Willett, The News & Observer.

Charter school supporters lobbied state lawmakers Thursday for more money at a time when charter schools and traditional public schools are arguing with each over about how much funding they receive.

School choice advocates told state legislators that charter school students aren’t being funded fairly compared to students in traditional public schools, especially when it comes to getting money for buildings. Supporters of these non-traditional schools hope to win over a state legislative task force that is considering whether to recommend overhauling the way North Carolina distributes more than $9 billion a year in state K-12 education funding.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Hui, K. “Charter schools could get more money if NC lawmakers overhaul K-12 funding system.” The News & Observer. 2/22/18.

Durham Schools Answer Federal Discrimination Complaint. What It Means For Your Kids.

Image Credit: Durham Public Schools.

An agreement reached as a result of a 2013 federal complaint filed against the Durham Public Schools could mean more even-handed punishment for black students and those with disabilities.

The complaint, filed with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) by Advocates for Children’s Services (ACS) of Legal Aid of North Carolina and the Center for Civil Rights Remedies of the Civil Rights Project of UCLA, alleged that DPS engaged in discriminatory discipline practices

It was filed on behalf of students affected by a large disparity in suspensions, which ACS charged violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. The law prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin in any program or activity that receives federal funds or other federal financial assistance.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Childress, G “Durham schools answer federal discrimination complaint. What it means for your kids.” The Herald Sun. 2/22/18.

NC Governor Touts Importance of Workforce Education

Wake Tech President Stephen Scott (tan jacket) and Gov. Roy Cooper (center) participate in a discussion about preparing residents for high-skilled jobs available in the state. Photo Credit: Wake Tech.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper says the Vernon Malone College and Career Academy is “a perfect example of what works.”

Cooper visited the Cooperative Innovative High School to unveil his new jobs initiative, called NC Job Ready, which focuses on education and skills training, employer guidance to ensure training is relevant and innovative programs like Vernon Malone CCA.

“We need more places like this all over North Carolina,” Cooper said, “and the business community needs to know that it wins with this type of program.”

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Clowers, L. “N.C. governor touts importance of workforce education. ” Community College Daily. 2/15/18.

State Board of Education Makes Its Case to Be Let Out of Leandro Lawsuit

Photo Credit: JJ Thompson, Unsplash.

Judge David Lee heard arguments from attorneys for the State Board of Education on why they think they should no longer be defendants in the long-running Leandro education case. Lauren Clemmons, a lawyer with the state Attorney General’s office representing the State Board, argued the state’s education system is far different now and that the State Board has taken steps necessary to ensure that students have the opportunity for a sound basic education.

“The State Board is administering an educational system that has been redone,” she said. “And it’s been redone as a consequence of the State Board’s Race to the Top initiative and legislative statutory changes that have essentially incorporated that initiative into our educational system.”

Melanie Dubis, an attorney with Parker Poe arguing for the plaintiffs — five low-wealth school districts — argued that the State Supreme Court found the State and State Board in constitutional violation of providing a sound basic education for all students in 2004 and that the burden is on the defendants to prove they have rectified the issue. She pointed out that the previous Judge Howard Manning had ordered the State Board to present their plan to remediate their violation to the court in 2015. That hearing never finished.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:
Granados, A. “State Board of Education makes its case to be let out of Leandro lawsuit.” EducationNC. 2/15/18.

National News

Trump Backs Arming Educators in Meeting with School Shooting Survivors

President Donald Trump bows his head during an opening prayer at the start of a listening session with high school students and teachers in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018.

Photo Credit: Carolyn Kaster, AP.

Seventeen States Get More Time on Their ESSA Plans

Image Credit: Education Week.

Seventeen states have received more time from the U.S. Department of Education to address federal concerns with their applications for implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act, according to a department spokeswoman.

On that list: Alabama, Alaska, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Virginia.

For those keeping score at home, that’s every state that hasn’t yet gotten a thumbs-up from the department on its plan. The feds have given every single state feedback on its ESSA approach. Some states have been approved even if they didn’t take all of the department’s suggestions to heart.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Klein, A. “Seventeen States Get More Time on Their ESSA Plans.” Education Week. 2/21/18.

Opportunities

Kenan Fellows Program Teacher Leadership Journal Announces New Submission Guidelines

The Kenan Fellows Program for Teacher Leadership is pleased to announce it has revised its submission guidelines for its Journal of Interdisciplinary Teacher Leadership (JoITL), an online peer-reviewed publication featuring original work on research, professional learning, and leadership in K-12 education. We will now be accepting articles with up to 7,000 words. This expanded word limit will allow authors to discuss their work in greater depth and provide readers with a more thorough treatment of the subject matter.

We are also changing the publication schedule. Beginning this year, JoITL will publish annually in December. We will accept manuscripts year-round but authors will be required to submit articles by the beginning of September in order to have them considered for publication. 

Guidelines for submission can be found on our website at www.kenanfellows.org/journals. 

Synergy Conference 2018: Registration Now Open

Building Tomorrow’s Workforce Today Through Expanded Learning
When: April 25 – 27, 2018

Where: The Greenville Convention Center in Greenville, NC

Each year, the North Carolina Center for Afterschool Programs (NC CAP) holds a conference to convene community, state, and national stakeholders in the afterschool and expanded learning environment. The Synergy Conference convenes hundreds of out-of-school time providers to share insight on research-based practices, effective programs, and public policies that impact students and their overall success in school and life.

Registration is now open for the annual Synergy Conference! You can register here at the rate of $225.

The Synergy Conference has a hotel block at the Hilton Greenville at the discounted rate of $139/night, which includes breakfast. You can make hotel reservations here. Hotel reservations must be made by March 26th to get the discounted rate. Please make your hotel reservations as soon as possible as space is limited.

For more information please visit https://ncafterschool.org/synergyconference2018/. 

TeacherSquared’s Teacher Educator Institute

TeacherSquared will be hosting its third Teacher Educator Institute in New Orleans from May 7-9. Join teacher educators, the teachers of teachers, from across the country for this Institute focused on Using Data to Improve Novice Teacher Practice. This institute is for new or experienced teacher educators interested in collaborating with other teacher educators to deepen their ability to use data to help the novice teachers they train get better. This Institute will be a uniquely valuable professional development experience for teacher educators in a range of roles: from clinical professors and deans to coaches and directors, in both traditional and alternative teacher preparation programs.

Click here for more details and to register today! Take advantage of early bird pricing (through 3/9) with the discount code “FRIEND2018” for $200 off.

Burroughs Wellcome Fund Accepting Applications for 

Student STEM Enrichment Program

The Burroughs Wellcome Fund has opened its application for the 2018 Student STEM Enrichment Program (SSEP) grant awards. SSEP supports diverse programs with a common goal: to enable primary and secondary students to participate in creative, hands-on STEM activities for K-12 students and pursue inquiry-based exploration in BWF’s home state of North Carolina. These awards provide up to $60,000 per year for three years. The application deadline is April 18, 2018.

For more information or to access the application, visit https://www.bwfund.org/grant-programs/science-education/student-science-enrichment-program.

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 www.ncforum.org.

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