Public School Forum

A think-and-do tank committed to North Carolina public schools

Friday Report – August 17, 2018

This week in #nced: Two Formerly – High Level DPI Staffers Out, Another State Board Member Resigns; 2,000-Student Charter School Won’t Open in Cary, Where Neighbors Pushed Back

Lauren 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 decisions that promote world-class public education in North Carolina. “Lauren’s deep experience in […]

Gene 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 conferred by the Governor of North Carolina, at a meeting […]

Education Matters – Should schools scrap letter grades?

Topic: Should schools scrap letter grades? Carroll Middle School in Raleigh is scrapping letter grades for a new approach that is gaining traction nationally known as competency based learning and grading. We talk to the school’s principal Elizabeth MacWilliams on why they are making the switch. We also meet the 2018 Burroughs Wellcome Fund NC […]

Education Matters – Teens, Social Media and Fake News

Topic: Teens, Social Media and Fake News  The phrase “fake news” was declared the official Collins Dictionary Word of the Year for 2017. Nearly 1 in 4 Americans visited a fake news site in the month leading up to the 2016 presidential election. With technology and social media becoming nearly a ubiquitous part of our children’s […]

Friday Report – August 3, 2018

This week in #nced: After Agency Shakeup, Superintendent Lays Out His Vision for NC’s Public Schools; State Board of Education Chairman Resigns, Saying It’s Time for New Leaders

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 focused on race, equity and education in North Carolina under the banner […]

Education Matters – Leadership Conversations

Topic: Leadership Conversations Cathy Moore was named Superintendent of Wake County Public Schools in May. It’s the largest school system in the state and the 15th largest in the country. She is the first woman and first Hispanic to hold the district’s top job and we talk to her on this week’s show. We also […]

Friday Report – July 27, 2018

This week in #nced: Superintendent’s Reorganization Shakes Up the Agency That Oversees NC Public Schools; ECU Selected as New Home for Teacher Support Program

Friday Report – July 20, 2018

This week in #nced: Teachers View Student Behavior Differently Based on Race, NC State Research Suggests; Charter School Drops Wording That Said Students Couldn’t Talk About Being Gay

Education Matters – Hits & Misses: A Legislative Recap

Topic: Hits & Misses – A Legislative Recap The General Assembly just wrapped up its short session for 2018 with a return date of November 27th after the fall election. This week we take a look at what happened in the short session in terms of education by talking to some key stakeholders. We’ll get […]

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 colleagues who are employed by the Department of Public Instruction’s Educator Support Services division […]

Friday Report – July 6, 2018

This week in #nced: 40 NC Education Employees Laid Off, Including Some Who Help Low-Performing Schools; “Renewal School System” Gives One County Same Flexibility as Charter Schools

Education Matters – Newsmakers & Newsbreakers

Topic: Newsmakers & Newsbreakers Education has been a mainstay in the headlines in recent years here in North Carolina. This week we talk to one of the education newsmakers, Judge Bob Orr. He’s a former NC Supreme Court Justice who recently represented the State Board of Education in its lawsuit over a law passed by […]

Friday Report – June 29, 2018

This week in #nced: You’ll Be Voting on a ‘Max Tax’ This November; Legislature Prepares to Adjourn, But Not Before Making Some Last Minute Education Moves

Another 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 Rutherfordton’s Trinity Christian School, Tiffany Walker, was indicted by a grand jury earlier this month on 137 […]

Education Matters – Tax Cap Amendment and Education

Topic: Tax Cap Amendment and Education The General Assembly is considering a Constitutional amendment to permanently cap income tax rates in North Carolina. If approved, it would appear on the November ballot along with other Constitutional amendments being proposed this week. With education making up more than half of the state budget, what impact could […]

Friday Report – June 22, 2018

This week in #nced: NC Lawmakers Want Voters to Decide on Some Things, But Not Funding for School Buildings; NC Needs School Psychologists, But Legislation to Help Hire More Is Stalled

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 Resilience and Learning Project works to improve the lives of local residents […]

Education Matters – Examining NC’s Private School Voucher Program

Topic: Examining NC’s Private School Voucher Program Two new reports are out exploring our state’s Opportunity Scholarship or private school voucher program. One study looks at the academic achievement of students who left public schools to attend private schools using state-funded vouchers. The other examines the type of curriculum being used by the private voucher […]