News, Op-Eds & Press Releases
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,...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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Annual Local School Finance Study Confirms Vast Funding Disparities Across North Carolina
RALEIGH, NC (February 19, 2019) – A study released today by the Public School Forum of North Carolina once again illustrates a chronic and growing gap in public school funding between the highest and lowest-wealth counties in the state. The 2019 Local School Finance...
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Public School Forum Releases Top 10 Education Issues for 2019
This Year’s Top Issue: NC Must Renew its Commitment to Public Schools for the Public Good RALEIGH, NC (January 23, 2019) – The Public School Forum of North Carolina released its Top 10 Education Issues for 2019 today during its fifth annual Eggs &...
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Public School Forum of North Carolina Announces the NC Center for Afterschool Programs Launch of the POWER UP Program
RALEIGH, NC (January 3, 2019) – The Public School Forum’s NC Center for Afterschool Programs (NC CAP) will launch its POWER UP Program in 2019 with national support from the Mott Foundation and the National Afterschool Alliance. The purpose of the POWER UP Program is...
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When School Desegregation Mattered in Charlotte
Dorothy Counts, center, tried to desegregate Harding High School in Charlotte on Sept. 4, 1957, but met hostility from white classmates and parents. Photo Credit: UNC library collection. By Keith Poston An edited version of this article appeared this week in...
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Nikole Hannah-Jones kicks off Color of Education with hard truths about race and education
Award-winning New York Times Magazine reporter Nikole Hannah-Jones pulled no punches on Tuesday night before a crowd of more than 500 people at the kickoff event for the Color of Education initiative: “I don’t want you to leave here inspired, I want you to leave...
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MEDIA ADVISORY: Award-winning Journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones To Discuss Race & Education at Durham Event
“Color of Education: An Evening with Nikole Hannah-Jones” Tuesday, October 2, 2018 7:00 – 8:30 PM Penn Pavilion at Duke University 107 Union Drive, Durham, NC 27710 The Public School Forum of North Carolina, Duke Policy Bridge and the Samuel DuBois Cook Center on...
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Color of Education Partnership Forms Guiding Committee
Raleigh-Durham, NC (September 18, 2018) – Color of Education, a new initiative of the Public School Forum of North Carolina, Duke Policy Bridge and the Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity at Duke University, has formed a Guiding Committee to help...
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Resilience & Learning: The first year on an important journey
Training with two of the Project’s new Resilience Teams in Rowan-Salisbury Schools (Overton Elementary and Hurley Elementary) focused on trauma’s impact on learning and behavior and starting to give staff tools and resources to create change for safer and more...
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The Public School Forum’s NC Resilience and Learning Project Expands into Six New School Districts to Create Trauma-Sensitive School Environments
Raleigh, NC (August 22, 2018) – The Public School Forum of NC’s Resilience and Learning Project will expand into six new school districts and continue working in the two 2017 pilot school districts across North Carolina this fall to create safer and more supportive...
read moreLauren Fox Joins Public School Forum of North Carolina as Senior Director of Policy
Raleigh, NC (August 15, 2018) – Lauren Fox has joined the Public School Forum of North Carolina as Senior Director of Policy. Fox will lead the Forum’s overall education policy analysis and research efforts and promote the Forum’s role in evidence-based policy...
read moreGene Arnold, Former State Representative and Former Chairman of the Public School Forum of North Carolina, Receives Order of the Long Leaf Pine
RALEIGH, N.C. (August 14, 2018) – Gene Arnold, former member of the North Carolina House of Representatives and former chairman of the Public School Forum of North Carolina was presented today with the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, one of the most prestigious awards...
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Nikole Hannah-Jones to kick-off “Color of Education” in North Carolina
Raleigh-Durham, NC (August 2, 2018) - The Public School Forum of North Carolina, in partnership with Duke Policy Bridge and the Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity at Duke University, announced today the first in a series of annual summits and convenings...
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Steep cuts to North Carolina’s education agency hurt low-performing schools the most
by Lindsay Wagner Lisa* has dedicated her professional life to helping low-performing schools transform into buildings where students can succeed. As she drove to one of those schools in rural North Carolina last week, Lisa described how she and her field-based...
read moreAnother embezzlement scandal rocks private voucher school
As taxpayer dollars continue to flow to private schools through a state voucher program that does not include meaningful financial oversight, another North Carolina private voucher school is caught up in an embezzlement scandal. The former headmaster at...
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The Public School Forum of North Carolina Receives $412,500 from Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust to Create Trauma-Sensitive Schools in Eastern North Carolina
RALEIGH, NC (June 21, 2018) — The Public School Forum of North Carolina is pleased to announce that it has received a grant to support the Forum’s NC Resilience and Learning Project from the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The NC...
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The Good, The Needs Improvement, and The Ugly in the State Budget
The Public School Forum has been closely analyzing this week’s release and imminent passage of the General Assembly’s 2018-19 budget proposal. We bring to you our take: The Good, The Needs Improvement, and The Ugly. THE GOOD Teacher pay. An overall average increase of...
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Fighting for their students: North Carolina’s teachers descend on Raleigh to ask for more resources
Educators march to the statehouse in Raleigh. Photo Credit: Lindsay Wagner, Public School Forum of NC. By Lindsay Wagner Following a wave of teacher demonstrations across the United States, roughly 20,000 educators from across North Carolina converged in downtown...
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New Innovative School District spends big on public relations, applicant reviews in first year
Photo Credit: Southside-Ashpole Elementary, Robeson County Schools. By Lindsay Wagner This fall, the state’s controversial new Innovative School District (ISD) will oversee the operations of just one 275-student elementary school in Robeson County. A review of...
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New Statewide Map and Database Available to Locate Out-of-School Time Programs for Youth
RALEIGH, NC (April 27, 2018) – With the generous support of the National Conference of State Legislatures and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the NC Center for Afterschool Programs [NC CAP] has developed a statewide, searchable database for out-of-school time...
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New Report Highlights Where Young People Face the Greatest Obstacles to Success in North Carolina
GREENVILLE, NC (April 26, 2018) – 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,...
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Will the General Assembly fix critical design flaws in new principal pay plan?
By Lindsay Wagner It’s been a year and a half since a legislative committee heard testimony from education and business stakeholders about innovative ways to bring North Carolina principal pay up from its abysmal rank of 50th in the nation. Since then, the General...
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