News, Op-Eds & Press Releases
February 2020 School of the Month
P.W. Moore Does More: Growing Resilient Students By: Elizabeth DeKonty, Director, NC Resilience and Learning Project In the far northeast corner of the state, there are a number of districts eager and ready to find ways to better support their staff and students — and...
Call for Nominations and Applications: President/Executive Director – Public School Forum of NC
The Public School Forum of North Carolina is conducting an active search for our next President/Executive Director. This Raleigh based role is designed to lead the organization as we execute our strategic plan. In addition to a demonstrated commitment to public...
A State at Risk: Critical Investments in North Carolina’s Public Schools Are Urgently Needed to Ensure Each Child Receives a Sound Basic Education
RALEIGH, N.C. (December 11, 2019) -- As North Carolina has reduced its commitment over the past decade to fulfilling its constitutional obligation to provide each and every child a sound basic education, the Public School Forum of NC looks forward to partnering with...
Marisa Bryant Joins Public School Forum of North Carolina As Director of Development
RALEIGH, NC (November 13, 2019) – The Public School Forum of North Carolina is pleased to welcome Marisa Bryant as its new Director of Development. This is a new role for the Forum, and Bryant will lead the organization’s efforts to coordinate fundraising...
Public School Forum of NC Statement on Governor’s Veto of NC General Assembly’s ‘Mini-Budget’ Teacher Raises
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE RALEIGH, NC (November 8, 2019) – Today, Governor Roy Cooper vetoed a ‘mini-budget’ bill passed by the General Assembly in October that would have offered teachers across the state pay raises that are grossly inadequate and do not reflect the...
Public School Forum of NC Launches Study Group XVII
Efforts Will Target the Unique Education Challenges Facing Rural North Carolina’s Students RALEIGH, NC (October 30, 2019) – Stakeholders representing business, education, government, academia and the non-profit community gathered at Research Triangle Park Headquarters...
Public School Forum of NC Announces the Dr. Dudley Flood Center for Educational Equity and Opportunity
Photo Credit: Les Todd RALEIGH, NC (October 29, 2019) – The Public School Forum of North Carolina is excited to announce the establishment of the Dr. Dudley Flood Center for Educational Equity and Opportunity (CEEO), which will serve as a hub to identify and connect...
Keith Poston Resigns as President and Executive Director of Public School Forum of NC
The Public School Forum of NC announced today that President and Executive Director Keith Poston has resigned from his position to focus on personal family matters, effective October 31, 2019. “We appreciate Keith’s more than five years of service to the Forum and...
Public School Forum of North Carolina Announces Study Group XVII
Efforts Will Target the Unique Education Challenges Facing Rural North Carolina’s Students The Public School Forum of NC is excited to announce the launch of Study Group XVII, which will examine the unique education challenges facing students across rural North...
The NC Center for Afterschool Programs Celebrates the 20th Anniversary of Lights On Afterschool at the Governor’s Executive Mansion
RALEIGH, NC (October 7, 2019) – The Public School Forum’s NC Center for Afterschool Programs (NC CAP) is proud to announce that it will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the annual nationwide event, Lights On Afterschool, with North Carolina First Lady Kristin Cooper...
Yes, “A” Still Stands for Affluent in NC School Performance Grades
By Lindsay Wagner North Carolina released its annual A-F School Performance Grades this week and they continue to reflect the clear relationship between poverty and students’ test scores. Of the 21.7% of North Carolina schools that received either a D or F in...
Color of Education Announces New Mapping Project to Highlight Racial Equity Efforts Across NC
RALEIGH, NC (August 23, 2019) –The Public School Forum of NC, in partnership with the Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity and Duke Sanford Policy Bridge, is excited to announce a new joint initiative: Mapping the Movement for Racial Equity and Beyond. For...
Teachers, state employees caught in the middle as state treasurer, hospitals battle over State Health Plan
By Lindsay Wagner When Wilkes County middle school librarian Susan Ringo recently had a stroke, she came through the medical crisis only to learn she had other undiagnosed congenital health issues that will require a lifetime of medical care at no small cost. She had...
A compromise budget that fails to ensure a sound basic education for every child
Statement by Keith Poston on the 2019-21 compromise state budget plan
NC Resilience and Learning Project Concludes Its Second Year: Lessons Learned
As the second year of the NC Resilience and Learning Project comes to a close, we are so fortunate to report the many successes we’ve nurtured as well as the improvements we’ve made, for both the project as well as the schools we were able to serve. To date, the NC...
Virtual pre-K still on the table at General Assembly as early childhood experts raise red flags, caution against more screen time
By Lindsay Wagner Among the many education proposals that have surfaced during the 2019 legislative session, few have provoked as much heated debate as this idea: to enact a 3-year pilot program that would provide low-income and military families in ten districts...
North Carolina’s Average Teacher Pay Myth: An Analysis by the Public School Forum of North Carolina
More than 80 percent of North Carolina’s school districts report average teacher salaries that are below the state average RALEIGH, NC (May 23, 2019) – A new report by the Public School Forum of NC finds that average teacher salaries in more than 80 percent of...
Mindset shift leads to big results at Greene County Intermediate School
A school-wide mindset shift was one of several key changes that Greene County Intermediate School’s (GCIS) assistant principal, Taylor Moore, said has made a big difference in his school’s journey toward becoming trauma-sensitive. “It has really been all about the...
Ta-Nehisi Coates to headline “Color of Education 2019” Summit in North Carolina
Raleigh-Durham, NC (May 13, 2019) - The Public School Forum of North Carolina, Duke Policy Bridge at the Sanford School of Public Policy and the Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity at Duke University, announced today that award-winning author Ta-Nehisi Coates...
Without Evidence That They Are Effective, NC Senate Moves to Expand Vouchers and Virtual Charter Schools
By Lindsay Wagner Relying on sound data when it comes to making decisions around spending North Carolina’s taxpayer dollars should be a no-brainer. However, in spite of the fact that we don’t know if our publicly funded school voucher program produces positive...
House budget would shred the small amount of accountability that exists for the school voucher program
By Lindsay Wagner Since its inception, North Carolina’s school voucher program has suffered from a stunning lack of transparency and accountability that should safeguard the public’s investment in private schools. The voucher program already makes public dollars...
New Report Highlights Where Young People Face the Greatest Obstacles to Success in North Carolina
GREENSBORO, NC (April 24, 2019) – A new report released today by the Public School Forum of North Carolina and its NC Center for Afterschool Programs (NC CAP) highlights large areas of North Carolina where young people are at risk of not succeeding. The report,...
At Overton Elementary, connecting teachers and parents is the key ingredient to building a trauma-sensitive school
The teachers and staff at Salisbury’s Overton Elementary have been trying something new this school year. Instead of making calls to parents when there’s a problem, educators are calling with good news, in addition to making home visits that have the express purpose...
Another Fayetteville Voucher School at Heart of Athletics Scandal
By Lindsay Wagner Fayetteville’s Village Christian Academy, a private school newly participating in the state’s taxpayer-funded Opportunity Scholarships Program, found itself embroiled in scandal this month when the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic...
James and Barbara Goodmon to Receive Public School Forum of North Carolina’s Annual Education Leadership Award
RALEIGH, NC (February 28, 2019) – James (Jim) and Barbara Goodmon were named today 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...