Friday Report - March 1, 2019 - Public School Forum

The Friday Report

March 1, 2019

Forum News

This Week on Education Matters: Documenting Historically Segregated Black Schools

The history of school desegregation includes many important stories of courageous African American families and their children who were the first to attend previously whites-only schools. But there’s another history that often goes untold. That one is about the rich history of education provided by the historically segregated black schools. Innovative and creative leaders, many of them born in slavery, created schools that would transform and inspire subsequent generations. This week we’re telling part of their story through a new initiative from Wake County Schools to chronicle the rich history of Wake’s historically segregated schools.

Guests:

Dr. Jim Martin, Chairman, Wake County Board of Education (pictured above, right)
Natalie Perkins, Former Washington Elementary student (pictured above, left)
Mary Linda Hall Jordan, Former Apex Consolidated High School student (pictured below, right)
Deborah Beckwith, Former Holly Springs & Apex Consolidated student (pictured below, left)

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.

Jim and Barbara Goodmon to Receive Public School Forum of North Carolina’s Annual Education Leadership Award

James (Jim) and Barbara Goodmon were named yesterday as the recipients of the 2019 Public School Forum of North Carolina Jay Robinson Education Leadership Award. The Forum established the award in 2000 to recognize leaders who have demonstrated innovative, creative, and effective leadership for public education in North Carolina. Mr. and Mrs. Goodmon will be honored at a gala event on Thursday, May 30, at the Raleigh Convention Center.

Jim Goodmon, chairman and CEO of Capitol Broadcasting Company, and Barbara Goodmon, president of the A.J. Fletcher Foundation, have spent decades finding innovative ways to meet their community’s needs—and public education has been at the top of their agenda. As actively engaged philanthropists and changemakers, the Goodmons have promoted effective and high-quality human services for disadvantaged people and communities and spearheaded efforts to ensure North Carolina’s citizens have access to first-class early childhood education and public schools across the state.

To continue reading the complete press release, click here.

Event Details:

Thursday, May 30, 2018

Raleigh Convention Center

6:00 p.m. Reception, 7:00 p.m. Dinner and Program

To purchase event tickets, click here.

If you are interested in sponsorship opportunities, please contact Marisa Bryant at mbryant@ncforum.org.

Excerpt from:

“James and Barbara Goodmon to Receive Public School Forum of North Carolina’s Annual Education Leadership Award.” Public School Forum of NC. 2/28/19.

State News

School Bond Proposal Sets Stage for Legislative Fight

Photo Credit: WRAL.

House Speaker Tim Moore and other education leaders in the House on Thursday unveiled plans to put a $1.9 billion school construction bond proposal before North Carolina voters next year.

If the bond passes, it would provide $1.5 billion for construction and renovation needs for school districts statewide, as well as $200 million each for the University of North Carolina system and the North Carolina Community College System. Community colleges could put money toward technology upgrades in addition to facilities.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Burns, M. “School bond proposal sets stage for legislative fight.” WRAL. 2/28/19.

Report Says ‘Leaky Pipeline’ of Students in Education System Is Costing NC Skilled Workers

Some graduating Wake County high school seniors visited their former teachers to thank them for the influence they had on their lives. Photo Credit: Wake County Schools.

North Carolina needs to get more students graduating from high school and college to have enough highly skilled workers to meet the demand in the state, according to a new report released Thursday.

The new report from UNC-Chapel Hill’s Carolina Demography and the John M. Belk Endowment found that 47 percent of North Carolinians ages 25 to 64 have a postsecondary degree or nondegree credentials. The Leaky Pipeline report says the state needs to get the percentage up to at least 60 percent by 2030 to meet the demands for a highly educated workforce.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Hui, K. “Report says ‘leaky pipeline’ of students in education system is costing NC skilled workers.” The News & Observer. 2/28/19.

Gov. Roy Cooper Tells Lawmakers He Wants School Bond, Medicaid Expansion

NC Governor Roy Cooper’s State of the State address to a joint session of the General Assembly Monday night, Feb. 25, 2019. Photo Credit: Pool Video.

Gov. Roy Cooper on Monday proclaimed the state determined to overcome the ravages of hurricanes, help cities and rural communities, and support public schools.

Cooper used “determined” as the theme of his second State of the State address and the first since Democrats added enough seats in the Republican-controlled North Carolina General Assembly to uphold the Democratic governor’s vetoes.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Bonner, L. and Jarvis, C. “‘Gov. Roy Cooper tells lawmakers he wants school bond, Medicaid expansion.” The News & Observer. 2/25/19.

Not Going to College? No Problem. No Plan for Alternatives? NC Schools Want to Talk.

Olympic High Counselor Laura Lewin staged an “undecideds fair” to expose students to job options other than four-year college. Photo Credit: David T. Foster III, The Charlotte Observer.

Olympic High senior Nick Reeves has a 3.9 grade-point average, a history of competitive robotics, strong computer coding skills and the creativity to design his own card game. In short, he’s the kind of student you might assume would head straight for college.

But Reeves, 19, is daunted by the costs — a year at N.C. State University, his most likely prospect, costs about $24,000 — and he dreads being asked what he wants to do with the rest of his life.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Doss Helms, A. “Not going to college? No problem. No plan for alternatives? NC schools want to talk..” The Charlotte Observer. 2/27/19.

House Education Committee Passes School Safety Measures

Photo Credit: Rep. Jeffrey Elmore, R-Wilkes. co-chairs the House K-12 education committee. Liz Bell, EducationNC.

A bill with recommendations from the House Select Committee on School Safety — including threat assessment teams for each school and school resource officer training — moved successfully through the House K-12 education committee Tuesday. The school safety committee was established after a mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida, left 17 students and staff members dead in February 2018. The group met multiple times throughout last year and visited schools to study how to improve the physical and mental wellbeing of students and schools across the state.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Bell, L. “House education committee passes school safety measures.” EducationNC. 2/27/19.

Should Schools Teach Mortgages, Credit Cards and Financial Literacy?

Photo Credit: Getty Images, iStockphoto.

Lt. Gov. Dan Forest and a bipartisan group of senators want high school students to get a full-semester financial literacy class.

Senate Bill 134 would require the class as a graduation requirement, and teachers would be required to receive training run by the N.C. Council on Economic Education, a nonprofit led by representatives from financial institutions.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Campbell, C. “Should schools teach mortgages, credit cards and financial literacy?” The News & Observer. 2/27/19.

Committee OKs Bill to Allow State to Study Plan to Screen Children for Mental Illness

Photo Credit: Pragyan Bezbaruah, Pexels.

A bill to allow North Carolina officials to study whether and when to conduct mental health screenings on public school students moved forward on Tuesday.

The House Health committee unanimously recommended House Bill 75, sending it to the House Rules and Operations committee.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Craver, R. “Committee OKs bill to allow state to study plan to screen children for mental illness.” Winston-Salem Journal. 2/26/19.

Durham Teacher Housing Bill Clears Hurdle. But Should Schools Be in Rental Business?

The Durham Public Schools Board of Education wants to create affordable housing for DPS teachers and staff. From left to right: Minnie Forte-Brown, Matt Sears, Xavier Cason, Mike Lee, Bettina Umstead, Steve Unruhe, Natalie Beyer. Photo Credit: Durham Public Schools.

A bill that would help some teachers in Durham Public Schools afford an apartment cleared its first hurdle in the legislature Tuesday.

State Rep. MaryAnn Black, a Durham Democrat and primary sponsor of House Bill 31, said housing costs in Durham County have gone up. A recent revaluation found the typical single-family home increased 24.5 percent in value since 2016, while homes near downtown more than doubled in value.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Baumgartner Vaughan, D and Polk, S. “Durham teacher housing bill clears hurdle. But should schools be in rental business?” The News & Observer. 2/26/19.

National News

Teachers Are Still Striking, But Their Demands Have Changed. Here’s How

Photo Credit: iStock.

Overwhelmingly white school districts received $23 billion more than predominantly nonwhite school districts in state and local funding in 2016, despite serving roughly the same number of children, a new report finds.

The funding gap is largely the result of the reliance on property taxes as a primary source of funding for schools. Communities in overwhelmingly white areas tend to be wealthier, and school districts’ ability to raise money depends on the value of local property and the ability of residents to pay higher taxes.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Meckler, L. “Teachers Are Still Striking, But Their Demands Have Changed. Here’s How.” The Washington Post. 2/26/19.

National Survey: Americans Say Education Should Be Higher 2019 Priority for Congress Than Terrorism, Immigration, or Jobs

Photo Credit: Pew Research Center.

This is the latest article in The 74’s ongoing ‘Big Picture’ series, bringing American education into sharper focus through new research and data. Go Deeper: See the full series.

Americans cited education as the No. 3 priority for President Trump and Congress going into 2019, outranking terrorism, immigration, or jobs, according to a new Pew Research survey.

The survey, conducted in January, reveals that 68 percent of Americans think improving the nation’s educational system should be a top priority for lawmakers and the president, ahead of terrorism (67 percent), immigration (51 percent), or jobs (50 percent).

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Fay, L. “National Survey: Americans Say Education Should Be Higher 2019 Priority for Congress Than Terrorism, Immigration, or Jobs.” The 74. 2/27/19.

Opportunities

East Carolina University’s Project I4

East Carolina University’s Department of Educational Leadership was awarded a five year, $9.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The focus of Project I4 is K-12 school leaders and how they engage with math and science teachers in their schools to improve teaching practices and academic discourse for equitable student outcomes.

Participants will earn a 9 credit Micro-credential (MC). These credits can be used toward the ECU Ed.D. in Educational Leadership. The MC is a year-long experience beginning with a one week Learning Exchange on campus in late July. This is followed by on-line and in-school classroom experiences in the fall and spring led by ECU instructors and small group facilitators. The MC concludes back on campus the following summer. An innovative feature of Project I4 is the development and testing of a virtual reality simulation of STEM classrooms to enable principals to practice observing and giving feedback in a game setting.

Recruitment for MC Cohort I has now begun. For more information contact the Project I4 lead, Dr. Matt Militello at: [email protected].

NC Principal Fellows 25th Anniversary Celebration

The NC Principal Fellows Program is trying to locate and invite all former Principal Fellows Commissioners, Campus Coordinators, and Directors to 25th anniversary events.

Complete this form to update your contact information. Contact Dr. Eddie Price, North Carolina Principal Fellows at [email protected] or (919) 291-0008.

AttendaNCe Counts! Survey

We all want our young children to succeed in school, and attending every day can help make that happen. Reach NC Voices is partnering with the NC Early Childhood Foundation to learn from NC elementary school teachers and staff and parents of NC elementary school children how your school encourages regular school attendance.

Please take this short survey to tell NCECF about your experience! Results are anonymous, and you do not need to share your school’s name unless you would like to. Survey link: ednc.org/attendance

We know that when young children are chronically absent – missing a couple days of school every month – they are less likely to read on grade level and more likely to be held back a grade. If we learn more about how elementary schools handle chronic absenteeism, we can determine what supports all schools may need to improve regular attendance.

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.