Friday Report – March 30, 2018

The Friday Report

March 30, 2018

NC School Leaders Want to Crack Down on School Threats, Which Have Risen 300% in 

Heritage High School, Heritage Middle School  Heritage Elementary School were put on lockdown Tuesday, March 20, 2018, because of a threat, according to Wake County schools. Photo Credit: Travis Long, The News & Observer.

A spike in threats of school violence since last month’s mass school shooting in Florida is spurring calls to crack down on students and others who make false threats.

There has been over a 300 percent increase nationally in school threats reported each school day since 17 people were killed at a high school in Parkland, Fla., on Feb. 14, according to the Educator’s School Safety Network. North Carolina has seen a sharp increase in threats, leading school board members to urge lawmakers to make it a felony to make a threat of mass violence on school property.

More than 84 percent of school board members who responded to a recent North Carolina School Boards Association survey said they support a bill making it a Class H felony to communicate a school threat. The bill received unanimous support from the House last year but stalled in the Senate. It’s eligible for consideration this year.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Hui, T. “NC school leaders want to crack down on school threats, which have risen 300% in .” The News & Observer. 3/28/18.

Report: School Boards, Counties Should Stay Out of Court

Photo Credit: JJ Thompson, Unsplash.

School districts across North Carolina will present next year’s funding requests in the coming weeks to local county commissioners, with the potential for costly and lengthy litigation if they can’t see eye-to-eye on spending.

So the General Assembly’s government watchdog agency recommended to legislators Monday that they pass a law barring school districts from suing when annual funding disagreements can’t be settled through a joint public meeting and formal mediation.

The report from the Program Evaluation Division suggested the new law create a formula upon which a county commission must fund a district when those remaining avenues to negotiate fail. The default formula would be based on the district’s student population and inflation, with funding increasing at a higher clip if the dispute lingers for three consecutive years.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Robertson, G. “Report: School boards, counties should stay out of court .” The Herald Sun. 3/26/18.

Colorblind: North Carolina’s Teaching Force – Like the Nation’s – Fails to Match Student Demographics

Ronald Wilson (left) and Sydney Denton in class with Christina Spears, a third-year special education teacher in Apex. Photo Credit: Liz Bell, EducationNC.

It did not take many days into Jason Terrell’s teaching career for him to realize this job would be about more than the middle school English lessons he planned.

In 2012, Terrell, a fresh-out-of-college novice, came to James Martin Middle School in Charlotte through Teach For America. He became interested in teaching late in his time at Furman University. After an uncomfortable conversation with his parents, a few months later, he was instructing a classroom of eighth graders.

In addition to teaching, he helped with the football team and agreed to lead the baseball team. But far more of his coaching happened off the field, in conversations about bullying, suicide, and parents in prison.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Rhew, A. “Colorblind: North Carolina’s teaching force—like the nation’s—fails to match student demographics .” EducationNC. 3/26/18.

Should the National Guard Be Deployed to Protect NC Schools?

National Guard soldiers monitor a peaceful march through uptown Charlotte, N.C., on Sept. 23, 2016.

Photo Credit: Jeff Siner, The Charlotte Observer. 

The National Guard has been called on over the years to restore the peace after natural disasters and other emergencies, but few North Carolina school board members think it’s time to deploy soldiers at schools as a security measure.

Only 18 percent of the 292 school board members who took a recent N.C. School Boards Association survey said they’d support deploying the National Guard as a school safety option. School board members were far more supportive of other ideas in the survey, such as increasing funding for mental health services, school counselors, and school resource officers.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Hui, K. “Should the National Guard be deployed to protect NC schools? ” The News & Observer. 3/27/18.

Project LIFT’s Work on CMS Schools Has Been Hailed and Heckled. Now It’s Evolving.

Superintendent Clayton Wilcox says Project LIFT has helped schools like Thomasboro Academy hire and keep strong teachers. Photo Credit: David T. Foster III, The Charlotte Observer file photo.

It looked like the end of Project LIFT.

Last week Clayton Wilcox, superintendent of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, released his revamped administration plan. Gone was the special zone created for the $50 million public-private partnership that set out to transform West Charlotte High and its feeder schools.

Denise Watts, who has been the face of Project LIFT since it debuted to national acclaim six years ago, would now lead one of six new geographic zones, overseeing an unspecified group of “central” schools.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Helms, A. “Project LIFT’s work on CMS schools has been hailed and heckled. Now it’s evolving. ” The Charlotte Observer. 3/27/18.

Attention NC Educators: North Carolina Wants to Hear From You

North Carolina wants to hear from 100% of its educators through the North Carolina Teacher Working Condition survey.

The North Carolina Teacher Working Conditions Survey is a tool that gauges NC Educators’ perspectives about teaching and learning conditions while providing education stakeholders and policymakers insights on how to improve school and classroom practices. 

Take the survey March 1-31. Once you have your code you can access the survey. Learn more about the TWC survey at https://www.ncteachingconditions.org.  

2018 Jay Robinson Education Leadership Award Gala

Ann Goodnight has been named as the recipient of the 2018 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, effective leadership for public education in North Carolina. Mrs. Goodnight will be honored at a gala event on Monday, May 21, at the Raleigh Convention Center.

“Ann Goodnight’s commitment to North Carolina’s children and to serving our state in so many meaningful ways made her an ideal choice for this honor,” said Michael Priddy, Chairman of the Public School Forum of North Carolina. “Her deep commitment to the entire education continuum, from early childhood to K-12 to higher education, really sets her apart – a commitment she backs up with both her time and investments. She’s a model for what giving back and servant leadership looks like.”

Information about this year’s event, as well as previous award recipients, can be found at ncforum.org/events/jay-robinson-education-leadership-award.

Event tickets can be purchased here:

https://2018jayrobinsonawardgala.eventbrite.com.

If you are interested in discussing a sponsorship, contact Lizzy Mottern at 

lmottern@ncforum.org.

Join the Conversation About Education and Economic Opportunity in Your Community

Image Credit: EducationNC.

The myFutureNC Commission—comprised of state leaders in education, business, philanthropy, government, and faith‐based and nonprofit communities—is reimagining the ways our communities, our regions, and our state support an individual’s attainment journey, from pre-Kindergarten through postsecondary and into the workforce.

To help them in this task, the myFutureNC Listening Tour is collecting ideas and feedback from people all over the state. We want to hear from everyone: educators, parents, service providers, faith leaders, employees, employers, government representatives, and students.

Please join our team at one of our Listening Sessions this spring and summer to share your thoughts and ideas about strengthening educational and economic opportunities for your community. Drop in at any time: We will share information on our work at 2:30 pm, meet in small groups for discussion at 3:00 pm and host community conversations with local education thought leaders at 4:15 pm.

To learn more & RSVP for a Tour stop, click here.

National News

School Segregation in America Is as Bad Today as It Was in the 1960s

Image Credit: Gluekit, Getty [4]; AP Photo [3].

Why Are Teachers More Likely Than Others to Work Second Jobs?

Photo Credit: Element5 Digital, Unsplash.

You might not think of teachers as players in our growing “gig economy.” After all, a teaching job seems like the ultimate form of guaranteed employment. Turns out, a significant number of teachers do work second jobs. In fact, teachers are more likely than others to work a second job. It’s a summer thing, right? Apparently not, but we’ll get to that below.

We know a fair amount about the extent to which teachers take second jobs. We know less about why they take jobs and not too much at all about the consequences of second jobs. A teacher with a second job raises their income, of course. Does outside work distract from teaching, or does it enrich what the teacher brings to class? Is a second job a path to leaving teaching altogether, or does a second job bring in enough extra income to allow an underpaid teacher to keep teaching as their main gig? The data shared here establishes that second jobs for teachers are an issue that deserves more attention. For some of the “whys” and “consequences,” it would be awfully interesting to hear from teachers.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Startz, D. “Why are teachers more likely than others to work second jobs? ” Brookings: Brown Center Chalkboard. 3/23/18.

Opportunities

Making Innovation a Priority in NC Schools

Join the UNCW Watson College of Education for the “Making Innovation a Priority in NC Schools: Exploring Innovative Practices” conference on Monday, April 30, 2018.

• Explore innovative programs and practices (personalized learning, 1:1 technology, problem-based learning, STEAM) and other unique initiatives.
• Learn how innovative programs and schools can help engage students in meaningful and challenging learning.
• Help identify the opportunities and obstacles to making innovation a priority in our public schools.

DATE & LOCATION
Monday, April 30, 2018 from 8:30am-3:00pm
UNCW Watson College of Education – Room 162

Keynote
Dr. Buddy Berry, Eminence Independent Schools, KY

Special Guest
Mark Johnson, North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction 

To learn more or register, visit https://uncw.edu/ed/innovation/ or contact Robert Smith at smithrw@uncw.edu or 910.962.4076. 

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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