Friday Report - January 4, 2019 - Public School Forum

The Friday Report

January 4, 2019

Forum News

Education Matters: One-on-One with NC Community College System President Peter Hans

Peter Hans became the ninth president of the NC Community College System in May. He now oversees 58 community colleges that educate more than 700,000 students every year, the 3rd largest community college system in the country. This week we talk with Peter about the opportunities and challenges for community colleges and education overall here in North Carolina, as well as his goals for the new year.

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.

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

Governor Cites ‘Taxpayer-Funded Resegregation’ of Meck Schools in Veto of NC Bill; General Assembly Overrides Veto

Saying it’s a revival of segregation, the NC NAACP and an array of Charlotte’s black education leaders vow to fight a controversial town charter school bill if it passes. Photo Credit: David T. Foster III, The Charlotte Observer.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed a 20-page “technical corrections bill” that eases the path for four Mecklenburg towns to create their own charter schools, setting up a Christmas-week showdown with departing legislators.

The bill covers a grab bag of topics, including a provision that makes municipal charter school employees eligible for state benefits. Cooper cited that, along with a section on water quality protection, in his statement announcing the veto.

“(M)unicipal charter schools set a dangerous precedent that could lead to taxpayer funded re-segregation,” his statement says.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

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

NC GOP overrides Gov. Cooper vetoes in lame duck session WTVD-TV

Excerpt from:

Doss Helms, A. “Governor cites ‘taxpayer-funded resegregation’ of Meck schools in veto of NC bill.” The Charlotte Observer. 12/21/18

Trump May Roll Back Obama School Discipline Rules, But 2 NC Districts Will Keep Them

In this Feb. 14, 2017 file photo, President Donald Trump talks to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington. Photo Credit: Evan Vucci, AP.

Two Triangle school systems don’t plan to back away from their efforts to reduce student suspensions, even as the Trump Administration moves to undo federal policies designed to reduce racial discrimination in school discipline.

A federal school safety panel led by U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos recommended Tuesday rolling back the 2014 guidance issued by the Obama Administration that warned school districts they could be investigated if minority students are suspended at disproportionately high rates.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Hui, K. “Trump may roll back Obama school discipline rules, but 2 NC districts will keep them.” The News & Observer. 12/21/18.

NC Families Lack Key Tool for Picking Schools This Year. That State Blames a Hurricane.

Photo Credit: The Charlotte Observer.

A little over a year ago, North Carolina officials proudly unveiled revamped school report cards that Superintendent Mark Johnson described as “the kind of information (parents) need, in an accessible format we can understand.”

Data about each school’s academic performance, teacher qualifications and school climate can be especially helpful to families deciding whether to apply for magnet, charter or private schools.

But this year’s data won’t be posted until after most such applications close, state officials said this week.

To read the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Doss Helms, A. and Hui, K. “NC families lack key tool for picking schools this year. The state blames a hurricane.” The News & Observer. 1/3/19.

A Foundation Had a Global Search for Teen Math Geniuses. It Found 3 in Charlotte.

Saanchi Sampath, Genevieve “Vievie” Romanelli and Aakriti Lakshmanan (left to right) met for the first time at Discovery Place in uptown Charlotte, where Lakshmanan was a STEM intern. Photo Credit: Diedra Laird, The Charlotte Observer.

Not long ago the New York-based World Science Foundation went looking for teens who can shape the future. They sought outstanding math skills, a creative mindset and a desire to network with leading scientists to solve problems.

In other words, “we’re cultivating genius,” says Mark German, who led the quest for the first 45 “world science scholars.” His group found three of them in Charlotte.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Doss Helms, A. “A foundation had a global search for teen math geniuses. It found 3 in Charlotte.” The Charlotte Observer. 12/21/18.

A Long Road to Recovery in Post-Florence North Carolina

Debris along the side of the road between Wallace and Chinquapin. Photo Credit: Rupen Fofaria, EducationNC.

Three months have passed since Hurricane Florence made landfall in the southeastern part of North Carolina. The waters have subsided and much of the debris has been cleared. A drive through most of the main streets of the region reveal little of the impact Florence made.

But the reminders are scattered about. You see them at town dumps, heaping with discarded furniture and memories. You see them in the tree stumps, and other remains from the millions of bushes and shrubs felled before they even had a chance to turn colors for the fall.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Fofaria, R. “A long road to recovery in post-Florence North Carolina.” EducationNC. 1/1/19.

Alamance County Teachers Academy Catches State’s Eye

Alamance County is affecting teachers across the state thanks to a program launched in 2013.

The Teacher Leadership Academy — a partnership among the schools, Impact Alamance, Elon University, Alamance Community College and the Chamber of Commerce — provides nine months of professional development for 50 ABSS teachers each year.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Williams, J. “Alamance County teachers academy catches state’s eye.” Times-News. 12/29/18.

Alternate Choices Affect Public Schools

Winstead Elementary School music teacher Tia Marcell instructs students at the school in September. Photo Credit: Drew C. Wilson, Times file photo.

At the beginning of the 2018-19 school year, a distressing trend became clear for administrators at Wilson County Schools.

Nearly 400 students of the 11,422 who had been listed on the rolls and expected to attend didn’t show up. On the sixth day of school, when it became clear that the school system was missing a large number of children, instructions were sent to each school principal to find out where the children had gone.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Wilson, D. “Alternate choices affect public schools: Enrollment declines concern WCS administrators.” The Wilson Times. 1/1/19.

National News

Why Millions Of Kids Can’t Read, And What Better Teaching Can Do About It

Image Credit: LA Johnson, NPR.

Jack Silva didn’t know anything about how children learn to read. What he did know is that a lot of students in his district were struggling.

Silva is the chief academic officer for Bethlehem, Pa., public schools. In 2015, only 56 percent of third-graders were scoring proficient on the state reading test. That year, he set out to do something about that.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Hanford, E. “Why Millions Of Kids Can’t Read, And What Better Teaching Can Do About It.” NPR. 1/2/19.

How California’s Rural Education Network Is Creating an Online Hub to Better Connect Remote Schools and Empower Teachers to Share Experiences, Strategies & Classroom Materials

Photo Credit: Don Kelsen, Los Angeles Times via Getty Images.

Educators in rural communities face unique challenges, but they also have special strengths that aren’t always found in urban and suburban schools. In California,where 60 percent of districts are in towns or rural areas, a new project is leveraging those strengths to help educators connect with one another and get the support they need.

The California Rural Ed Network started in 2017 but recently launched an online resource bank that offers free informational and professional development articles about topics relevant to rural educators, such as teacher recruitment and adverse childhood experiences. The bank includes materials that were handpicked by experts as well as user-generated content, which researchers are in the process of vetting and verifying, said Rindy DeVoll, the network’s chair and a former teacher in Tehama County.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Fay, L. “How California’s Rural Education Network Is Creating an Online Hub to Better Connect Remote Schools and Empower Teachers to Share Experiences, Strategies & Classroom Materials.” The 74 Million. 1/2/19.

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 January 11th 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.

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.