Friday Report - January 11, 2019 - Public School Forum

The Friday Report

January 11, 2019

Forum News

Education Matters: Legislative Preview

Note: Due to the NFL Playoff game on Saturday night, Education Matters will air on

WRAL-TV at Noon on Sunday, January 13, 2019.

As a new NC General Assembly returns to Raleigh without a Republican supermajority for the first time since 2012, we’re joined by three respected journalists to discuss what to expect in 2019 in terms of education policy and how the new balance of power might shape the debates and key issues.

Guests:

Rob Christensen, Former Chief Political Writer, News & Observer (pictured above)
Liz Schlemmer, Education Policy Reporter, WUNC Radio (pictured below, left)
Billy Ball, Managing Editor, NC Policy Watch (pictured below, right)

When and Where to Watch Education Matters

Sunday at Noon, 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.

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

State News

‘Moving Backwards’ on Reading. NC Is Not Seeing Gains from Its Read To Achieve Program.

Organizers Chris Tuttell and Kelsey Clarke brought free books to Chavis Park on Thursday, June 21, 2018 to promote summer reading for children in Southeast Raleigh, N.C. Photo Credit: Robert Willett, The News & Observer.

North Carolina has spent more than $150 million since 2012 on the Read To Achieve program, but not much more than half of the state’s youngest students are reading at grade level.

The past six years have seen major changes in how reading is taught in elementary schools, with more testing and more support for students who need help, such as through summer reading camps. But as state education leaders reviewed the data Wednesday, they said that North Carolina isn’t seeing much progress in getting more children reading at grade level by third grade.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Hui, K. “‘Moving backwards’ on reading. NC is not seeing gains from its Read To Achieve program.” The News & Observer. 1/9/19.

NC Won’t Take Over Low-Performing School. District Has 2 Years to Turn Things Around.

Photo Credit: Wayne County Schools.

Wayne County Public Schools has two years to turn around a low-performing elementary school to avoid having it be taken over by the state and potentially run by a charter school operator.

The State Board of Education voted Thursday to approve Wayne County’s request to use a state program called the “restart model” to try to turn around Carver Heights Elementary School in Goldsboro. The vote reverses the state board’s earlier decision to take over Carver Heights and add it to the state’s Innovative School District.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Hui, K. “‘NC won’t take over low-performing school. District has 2 years to turn things around.” The News & Observer. 1/10/19.

NC Teachers Are Speaking Up and Flexing Their Muscles. Can They Keep Momentum Going?

On Wednesday May 16, 2018, the opening day of the legislative session, educators and their supporters from across the state traveled to Raleigh to demand more funding for public education. Photo Credit: Julia Wall, The News & Observer.

During the past year, North Carolina’s teachers found their voice.

There was Angie Scioli, a Raleigh high school teacher who formed a group mobilizing teachers across the state.

There was NaShonda Cooke, a Wake County teacher telling her story on the cover of Time magazine in September.

There was Justin Parmenter, a Charlotte teacher writing opinion pieces that were shared more than a dozen times on the Washington Post’s education blog.

These teachers and many others used their voices to weigh in on public policy, open a window into their classrooms and support each other in a state where teachers have often felt isolated and fearful. They spoke up on pay and respect, on dilapidated classrooms and being judged by students’ test scores.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Doss Helms, A. and Hui, K. “NC teachers are speaking up and flexing their muscles. Can they keep momentum going?” The News & Observer. 1/9/19.

NC ‘Quickly Approaching’ 200 Charter Schools

Photo Credit: Kelly Hinchcliffe, WRAL.

One year after North Carolina charter schools hit an enrollment high of more than 100,000 students, they are now “quickly approaching” a new milestone – opening the 200th charter school in the state, according to Dave Machado, director of North Carolina’s Office of Charter Schools.

Machado presented the latest charter schools annual report at the State Board of Education meeting Wednesday. The report showed charter school enrollment in North Carolina has increased more than 200 percent in the past 10 years.

To read the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Hinchcliffe, K. “NC ‘quickly approaching’ 200 charter schools.” WRAL. 1/9/19.

Popularity of Charter Schools Is Causing This NC School District to Lose Students

Photo Credit: Photo by NeONBRAND, Unsplash.

Durham Public Schools have shrunk by more than 1,000 students over the past four years, at the same time enrollment from Durham families in charter schools has gone up by more than 1,700 children.

Durham Public Schools have gone from having about 33,000 students in 2014 to about 32,000 students this school year, with around half of that drop in enrollment in the past year alone. In contrast, charter school enrollment by Durham students has more than doubled in the past decade and increased by around a third since 2014.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Teachers at Closed School Left Unpaid

Photo Credit: Pixabay, Pexels.

Teachers at the now defunct Global Achiever School will not be able to look to the state for recourse as they wait to see if they will be paid the money owed to them.

“Just as with district schools, the state allots the funds but the entity — the local education agency or charter school — is the employer. What recourse is available to employees would be a matter of the particulars of their employment agreement with their employer and state law,” said Drew Elliot, communications director for the state Department of Public Instruction.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Harper, A. “Teachers at closed school left unpaid.” Rocky Mount Telegram. 1/8/19.

Enrollment At Wake County Public Schools Down

File photo of the entrance to the Wake County Public Schools administration office. Photo Credit: Brian Batista, WUNC.

Public school enrollment in Wake County grew by just 42 students this year. That’s nearly 2,000 students less than county officials had projected. The decline in growth is in line with trends seen across the state and country.

The dip comes as more North Carolina families are sending their children to charter schools. From 2015 to 2016, charter school enrollment in the state grew by more than 15,000 students.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Philip, L. “Enrollment At Wake County Public Schools Down.” WUNC. 1/7/19.

National News

A Conversation With U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes, an Award-Winning Teacher

Jahana Hayes. Photo Credit: Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images.

The 116th U.S. Congress is more diverse than ever before, with a historic wave of women of color taking office.

While much of the national spotlight has been on the youngest woman to serve in Congress, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from New York, there is also a former history teacher who has made history with her election: Rep. Jahana Hayes.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Will, M. “A Conversation With U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes, an Award-Winning Teacher.” Education Week. 1/7/19.

Progress, Policy, and Protests: Teacher Evaluation Laws Evolving Faster Than Underlying Research That Proves Their Worth, Experts Say

Photo Credit: Allison Shelley, The Verbatim Agency for American Education: Images of Teachers and Students in Action.

If there’s been one constant over the last decade in terms of teacher evaluation policies in the United States, it’s been change.

First, performance reviews incorporating student test scores became — mostly — the law of the land. Then, the academic standards that educators and their pupils are measured against — mostly — changed. And then, in many places, those standards changed again.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Hawkins, B. “Progress, Policy, and Protests: Teacher Evaluation Laws Evolving Faster Than Underlying Research That Proves Their Worth, Experts Say.” The 74 Million. 1/2/19.

Opportunities

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 and the Request for Proposals (RFPs) for workshop presenters and vendors are now open. 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.

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

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 January 14th and can be submitted here.

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.

Please feel free to contact us at [email protected] should you have questions.

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.