On May 17th, 1954, the Supreme Court ruling Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka struck down the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson ruling. This ruling made state-sanctioned segregation in schools unconstitutional. Today, despite the abolishment of laws prohibiting children of different races from learning together, in many cases student-body demographics show that schools remain wildly […]
Final Word: Hope for North Carolina’s Teacher Pipeline
Teachers are the number one school-related factor affecting student outcomes. Knowing this, it should go without saying that teachers are vital to our public education system. Unfortunately, like in many other places, North Carolina’s teacher pipeline has been struggling for years now. The perception that teaching is a noble but not properly respected profession has […]
NC Has Money — Just Not for Public Education
The State of North Carolina has money. In 2022, North Carolina had over $6 billion in unappropriated funds. This year, North Carolina is expected to have at least $3 billion more than budgeted in revenue. This is a significant surplus. And yet, the Senate’s budget released yesterday based solely on input from the Senate Republican […]
Final Word: Ask Yourself These Questions
There are few days that go by that I don’t have a moment of appreciation for the beauty around us in NC. The trees, the hiking trails, the flowers… It’s quite amazing. I seem to notice it even more lately, as Spring has taken its time. As I had another of these moments recently, I […]
North Carolina Center for Afterschool Programs Celebrates Afterschool Professionals Appreciation Week
RALEIGH, NC (April, 27 2022)– April 24-28, 2023 is After Schools Professionals Appreciation Week. Celebrated the last full week in April of every year, After Schools Professionals Appreciation Week is a time to recognize and appreciate those who work with youth during out-of-school hours. In the U.S. there are over 850,000 afterschool professionals and an […]
Inaugural North Carolina Bring Your Legislator to School Day Announced
RALEIGH, NC (April 20, 2023)- The Inaugural North Carolina Bring Your Legislator to School Day will take place on May 15, 2023. Members of the NC Teacher of the Year and Principal of the Year Network, the Public School Forum of North Carolina, and bi-partisan legislative sponsors kicked off the initiative by inviting the entire […]
Public School Forum of North Carolina Presents The 2023 Jay Robinson Education Leadership Gala Honoring Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation
RALEIGH, NC (April 19, 2023)- The Public School Forum of North Carolina will honor the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation at the 2023 Jay Robinson Education Leadership Award Gala on Thursday, May 4 at the Angus Barn Pavilion in Raleigh. This annual event which began in 2000 celebrates public education in our state and recognizes leaders/organizations […]
Public School Forum of NC Analysis of House Budget Proposal
The NC House released its budget proposal on Wednesday. We were pleased to see that the budget includes many of the items called for in our 2023-24 Top Education Issues, including important steps to reinstate masters pay and expand the Teaching Fellows program. However, the House Budget proposal does not go far enough in providing […]
$1B Out of Public Schools Will Hit Rural Communities Hardest
Last week legislation was introduced to provide $1 billion of your tax dollars to pay to send children, regardless of a family’s financial or educational need, to any private school of the parents’ choosing. House Bill 420, filed by state Reps. Donnie Loftis, David Willis, John Bradford and Allen Chesser, goes much further than the […]
Public School Forum of NC Statement on Governor Cooper’s Proposed 2023-25 Budget
(Raleigh, NC) March 15, 2023 — Governor Cooper’s 2023-25 biennium budget proposes significant and much-needed investments in public education to meet the needs of children and communities across the state – without increasing taxes. The budget addresses many of the evidence-based action items called for in the Public School Forum’s 2023-24 Top Education Issues. NC […]
Teachers Never Quit Because of Kids
Last November, three weeks before I resigned, some students in a class I was covering asked, “Why doesn’t anyone want to teach anymore, Ms. Jackson?” (they had no regular teacher and begrudgingly welcomed Substitute #4). One added, “Because of these bad kids?!” I assured them, “teachers never quit because of kids. You are why we […]
Dudley Flood Center for Educational Equity and Opportunity & Public School Forum of North Carolina Statement on Proposed House Bill 187
(Raleigh, NC) March 14, 2023 — North Carolina’s Constitution commands that “equal opportunities be provided for all students.” Every student deserves a safe and nurturing learning environment in which they can grow, flourish, and pursue their chosen educational path. The “sound basic education” guaranteed in the state’s Constitution is made possible when students engage in meaningful […]
Public School Forum Releases 2023 Local School Finance Study
RALEIGH, NC (March 10, 2023)- The Public School Forum of North Carolina’s 2023 Local School Finance Study is now available. Through the Local School Finance Study The Forum has highlighted variations and trends in local spending for public education across our state’s 100 counties for over 30 years. The purpose of this annual study is […]
The Final Word: Culturally Responsive Curriculum
When students enter a classroom, they bring with them their entire selves. Their identities, strengths and weaknesses, their interests, and their culture often impact how students engage and what they take away from each lesson. North Carolina’s student population is incredibly diverse. Culturally responsive teaching aims to ensure that all students can see themselves in […]
Dudley Flood Center Hosts First Mapping the Movement Event
In conjunction with Black History Month, education stakeholders and activists from across North Carolina gathered in Durham on February 20 for the Dudley Flood Center’s first Mapping the Movement for Racial Equity in Education event where attendees were given the opportunity to network and discuss combating inequities in education. Mapping The Movement is an initiative […]
Joint Reflections from Dudley Flood Center for Educational Equity & Opportunity and the Public School Forum of North Carolina on Senate Bill 49
February marks the month set aside to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions of Black Americans. It is also a time for reflection on the progress made and work that remains to ensure equal rights and opportunity for every individual. A seminal moment in the Civil Rights Movement came in 1954, when the Supreme Court ruled […]
Dudley Flood Center Announces Western Rural Teacher Leader Network Cohort
Raleigh, NC (February 6, 2023) — The Rural Teacher Leadership Network (RTLN), is designed to bring together diverse groups of educators across North Carolina who seek to strengthen their practice, foster community with teacher leaders from across other rural districts, and develop their leadership capacity to guide other teachers in their schools. The network creates […]
Final Word: Choosing Students Over Politics
The polarization of the last few years is undeniable. Many people have chosen vehement support of their own side over any alternative without even exploring those alternatives, but that should not and cannot be how we make our education policy decisions in North Carolina. Public schools are the cornerstone of our communities, our democracy, and […]
Public School Forum Releases Top Education Issues during Ninth Annual Eggs & Issues Breakfast
RALEIGH, NC (January 31, 2023)- The Public School Forum of North Carolina released its Top Education Issues for 2023 today during its ninth annual Eggs & Issues event. This year’s report outlines the Forum’s priorities on what should be at the forefront of education policy decision-making in the coming year. The challenges and deep inequities […]
The Final Word: The Importance of Student Voice
Oftentimes when we discuss education we hear from parents, educators, legislators and advocates about what’s best for students. All of those groups undoubtedly bring something important to the conversation, but they cannot say it all. We must also bring in the perspective of students, and when we ask, they have much to say and offer […]
LaTanya Pattillo Appointed Chair-Elect of the Public School Forum of North Carolina
RALEIGH, NC (January 26, 2023) – The Board of Directors of the Public School Forum of North Carolina has selected LaTanya Pattillo to serve as the chair-elect. Pattillo’s chair-elect role will begin immediately, and she will assume the role as board chair for a two-year term which will officially begin July 1, 2023. In July, […]
Final Word: What North Carolina’s Regional Teachers of the Year Want You to Know
For this Final Word our 2022 Burroughs Wellcome Fund North Carolina Teachers of the Year shared what they wish for people to know about public education. Clinton Todd, Northeast North Carolina 2022 Regional Teacher of the Year, Pitt County: I would want our audience to know that our most underrepresented populations have value and worth, […]
Final Word: Words of Hope From North Carolina’s Regional Teachers of the Year
For this Final Word our 2022 Burroughs Wellcome Fund North Carolina Teachers of the Year shared what gives them hope. Leah Carper, 2022 Burroughs Wellcome Fund North Carolina Teacher of the Year, Piedmont Triad North Carolina 2022 Regional Teacher of the Year, Guilford County: When I go into classrooms across North Carolina, I’m so excited […]
2022 Impact Report
The 2022 Impact Report provides a comprehensive overview of the Forum’s work for the year including events, publications and network reach.