Friday Report - February 8, 2019 - Public School Forum

The Friday Report

February 8, 2019

Forum News

This Week on Education Matters: Newsmaker Conversations

The State Treasurer of North Carolina has broad responsibilities over the finances of the state that have big implications for public education including state employee retirement and pension plans, the State Health Plan and how the state finances school construction. This week we talk with State Treasurer Dale Folwell about these topics and more. We also talk with an NC State Professor, Dr. Michael Maher, about why he wants to be the next State Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Guests:

Dale Folwell, State Treasurer of North Carolina (pictured above)
Dr. Michael Maher, Assistant Dean of Professional Education, NC State (pictured below)

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

Will NC Teachers Once Again Get Extra Pay for Master’s Degrees? Plan Has Bipartisan Support.

Beth Hardy, a teacher at South Smithfield Elementary School, tests Darius Eason on his reading skills in this 2013 file photo. Hardy has a master’s degree. Photo Credit: Paula Seligson, The News & Observer.

Some North Carolina teachers might get rewarded with extra money for their master’s degree after state lawmakers cut off the benefit to educators who weren’t already in the program.

Senate Bill 28 filed Wednesday would restore master’s pay for teachers as long as they get their degree in the subject that they’re teaching. The bill has quickly gotten bipartisan support as a way to recognize teachers while being more narrowly tailored than what was previously offered.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Hui, K. “Will NC teachers once again get extra pay for master’s degrees? Plan has bipartisan support.” The News & Observer. 2/7/19.

NC Public Schools ‘Having Real Trouble Finding Elementary Teachers’

Photo Credit: Pixabay, Pexels.

North Carolina public school teachers are not leaving their jobs in droves, but when they do leave, elementary schools are struggling the most to fill the empty teaching positions, according to a report shared with the State Board of Education on Wednesday.

“There’s no evidence that teachers are fleeing the profession. The outgoing percentage is very, very stable, and it’s not high. You would expect this in any industry,” said Tom Tomberlin, director of educator recruitment and support for the state Department of Public Instruction. However, “we’re having real trouble finding elementary teachers,” he said, adding that school systems are “finding it’s becoming increasingly problematic.”

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Hinchcliffe, K. “NC public schools ‘having real trouble finding elementary teachers.'” WRAL. 2/6/19.

Every NC School Should Have a Police Officer, Group Recommends in Report to Governor

Knightdale High School resource officer Pete Smith uses a body-worn camera at the school. He uses the camera if there is a fight or if he needs to interview students. Photo Credit: Mechelle Hankerson, The News & Observer.

A school safety commission formed by Gov. Roy Cooper after the Parkland school massacre says North Carolina needs to be proactive and provide money to have an armed police officer at every school in the state.

Questions about how to make schools safer have intensified since 17 people were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., last February. The report presented Thursday by the Governor’s Crime Commission Special Committee on School Shootings says it’s time to discuss providing permanent funding for school resource officer positions in every school.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Hui, K. “Every NC school should have a police officer, group recommends in report to governor.” The News & Observer. 2/7/19.

‘This is Overtesting.’ NC Could Eliminate 3 State Exams in Social Studies and Science.

Photo Credit: Ben Mullins, Unsplash.

Three state exams could be eliminated as part of an ongoing effort to reduce the amount of testing being given to North Carolina public school students.

State Department of Public Instruction officials said Wednesday they will recommend eliminating the N.C. Final Exams for science in fourth grade and for social studies in fourth and fifth grades. More than 23,000 students take these exams each year to assess how teachers are performing using the SAS EVAAS program.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Hui, K. “‘This is overtesting.’ NC could eliminate 3 state exams in social studies and science.” The News & Observer. 2/6/19.

2019 NC Regional Teachers of the Year Named

Photo Credit: Element5 Digital, Unsplash.

Nine teachers from across North Carolina have been selected as the state’s regional Teachers of the Year for their dedication, innovation and ability to inspire students to achieve.

These accomplished educators will now compete for the title of 2019 Burroughs Wellcome Fund North Carolina Teacher of the Year. The winner succeeds the 2018 Teacher of the Year, Freebird McKinney, a history and philosophy teacher at Walter Williams High in the Alamance-Burlington School System.

The 2019 North Carolina Regional Teachers of the Year are:

Northeast: Damon Walcott, Washington High (Beaufort County Schools);
Southeast: Christy Howe, Bradley Creek Elementary (New Hanover County Schools);
North Central: C.R. “Katie” Eddings, Lee County High (Lee County Schools);
Sandhills: Mariah Morris, West Pine Elementary (Moore County Schools);
Piedmont-Triad: Shiela Patterson, South Stokes High (Stokes County Schools);
Southwest: Kate Culbreth, Wolf Meadow Elementary (Cabarrus County Schools);
Northwest: Laura Brooks, Wilkes Central High (Wilkes County Schools);
Western: Caesar Campana IV, Hayesville High (Clay County Schools); and
Charter Schools: Douglas Price, Voyager Academy, (Durham, NC)

To continue reading the complete press release, click here.

Excerpt from:

“NC Regional Teachers of the Year Named.” Public Schools of North Carolina. 2/4/19.

Anticipated Education Issues Could Impact Students with Learning Differences

Members of the 2019-2020 NC House of Representatives take their oath. Photo Credit: Rupen Fofaria, EducationNC.

As the General Assembly gets underway for the 2019 long session, advocacy groups wonder how — and whether — legislators will try to make a difference in the lives of children with learning differences.

“Learning differences” is a term used to describe students who have non-traditional learning profiles and who struggle to keep up in classrooms designed for the “average learner.” According to researchers and advocacy groups, learning differences (or LD) affects one in five kids in schools. That’s roughly 10 million children nationwide.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Fofaria, R. “Anticipated education issues could impact students with learning differences.” EducationNC. 1/31/19.

Bullying Major Contributing Factor to School Shootings, Safety Expert Says

Photo Credit: Pixabay, Pexels.

In 2018, someone was hurt or killed in 23 school shootings across the country.

With school shootings part of the national culture, training for them has become routine but not second nature. Experts say there is more people need to learn.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Lamb, A. “Bullying major contributing factor to school shootings, safety expert says.” WRAL. 2/4/19.

N.C. Teacher Shortage Hurts Alamance-Burlington’s Most Vulnerable Schools

A student works a problem during a math class at Athens Drive High School in Raleigh on Sept. 4, 2014. Photo Credit: Chris Seward, The News & Observer.

Your child’s teacher may not be fully licensed, especially if your child attends a certain school.

Dawn Madren, Human Resources director for the Alamance-Burlington School System, presented data to the school board last week on North Carolina’s teacher shortage and how ABSS has filled vacant positions.

Since 2010, enrollment in undergraduate education programs across the UNC System has decreased by 41 percent. That’s the canary in the state’s education coal mine.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Williams, J. “N.C. teacher shortage hurts ABSS’ most vulnerable schools.” The Times-News. 2/3/19.

Knightdale High Could Get a Calendar That Other NC Schools Want (and the Tourism Industry Hates)

Knightdale High School principal Jim Argent talks to a student committee in this file photo. Photo Credit: Kara Bettis, The New & Observer.

Knightdale High School could soon get a new calendar that many other North Carolina high schools want but that the state’s tourism industry is against.

The Wake County school board gave initial approval Tuesday to a proposal that would allow Knightdale High to start the school year in early August instead of in late August. This change would allow students to take final first semester exams before winter break. That option isn’t available for most North Carolina schools because of the state’s school calendar law.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Hui, K.. “Knightdale High could get a calendar that other NC schools want (and the tourism industry hates).” The News & Observer. 2/5/19.

National News

Power Is Knowledge: New Study Finds That Wealthy, Educated Families Are Using School Ratings to Self-Segregate

“Digitization and Divergence: Online School Ratings and Segregation in America”

If there’s one thing parents, real estate agents, and educators all understand implicitly, it’s this: High property values are built on top-notch school districts.

Excellent schools are considered so precious, parents will risk huge fines and even jail sentences by enrolling their children under false pretenses. Buyers, even those without children, are willing to pay hefty premiums to live in good districts, since their prices are resilient to downturns in the housing market. And real estate databases like Zillow, Trulia, and Redfin all include copious information on the proximity and quality of local education options.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Mahnken, K. “Power Is Knowledge: New Study Finds That Wealthy, Educated Families Are Using School Ratings to Self-Segregate.” The 74. 2/5/19.

New York Joins Movement to Abandon Use of Student Tests in Teacher Evaluations

South Bronx Preparatory is one of the thousands of New York schools that will be impacted by an overhaul of the state’s teacher evaluation system. Photo Credit: Joshua Bright, The New York Times.

Four years ago, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo pushed through a plan to put New York at the forefront of a national movement to reshape American public education: He vowed that half of a teacher’s rating would be determined by student results on standardized exams.

But his initiative met with immediate resistance from teachers’ unions and parents, especially those in New York’s wealthy suburbs and progressive urban pockets.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Shapiro, E. “New York Joins Movement to Abandon Use of Student Tests in Teacher Evaluations.” The New York Times. 2/1/19.

Opportunities

Burroughs Wellcome Fund Accepting Applications for Student STEM Enrichment Program

The Burroughs Wellcome Fund has opened its application for the 2019 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 16, 2019.

For more information or to access the application, visit

https://www.bwfund.org/grant-programs/science-education/student-science-enrichment-program.

Synergy Conference 2019

The Synergy Conference 2019 for afterschool professionals will convene April 24-25, 2019 at the Koury Convention Center in Greensboro, NC. This year’s conference is themed “DOING THE M.O.S.T.: MAXIMIZING OUT-OF-SCHOOL TIME”. The conference timeline can be viewed here.

Early Registration is now open for the annual SYNERGY CONFERENCE! You can register here by February 10th for the discounted rate of $200. Regular registration will begin on February 11th at the regular rate of $225.

We are excited to announce that Mentoring has been added as a new workshop strand. Workshop strands include Arts & Literacy, Closing Gaps, College & Career Readiness, Mentoring, Organizational Capacity, Public/Private Partnerships, S.T.E.M., and Youth Development.

Keynote Speaker Spotlight

Byron V. Garrett will be this year’s lunch and award ceremony keynote speaker. One of the most compelling voices of our time, Byron V. Garrett is Chairman of the National Family Engagement Alliance (NFEA); a nonprofit dedicated to transforming education through meaningful family engagement. Byron is the Founder & Chief Visionary Officer of The Valdecio Collection, a lifestyle brand consisting of clothing, watches and fragrances. The former Director of Educational Leadership & Policy for Microsoft, Byron is a consulting author for Scholastic and released the Byron V. Garrett Social Emotional Learning Collection in 2017 to foster social and emotional learning in today’s classrooms.

To learn more, please visit: ncafterschool.org/synergyconference2019/

FAST NC Fundraising Drive to Aid Public Schools

Florence Aid to Students and Teachers of North Carolina – FAST NC – is an effort led by a bipartisan group of current and former North Carolina education leaders to help the state’s public schools as students and educators struggle to return to normal following Hurricane Florence and its impact.

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.