Press Releases

Dr. Patrick Greene, principal of Greene Central High School in Greene County, was named the 2022 Wells Fargo North Carolina Principal of the Year at an awards luncheon today in Cary.

With two of three regional meetings concluded, the statewide initiative known as Portrait of a Graduate is nearing completion to clearly define the mindsets and durable skills North Carolina students should possess when they graduate from high school to ensure their readiness for civic life, career, or college.

During her 12 years of teaching elementary school, Victoria Lightfoot has been singled out as teacher of the year in two different Wake County schools and as a semi-finalist for district’s top honor. Yet none of those accolades could have prepared her for the surprise at this morning’s assembly at Millbrook Magnet Elementary School, where she was handed a check for $25,000 after being named a national Milken Educator Award winner.

More than two dozen school districts across North Carolina will share nearly $400 million in new state lottery-funded grant awards for school construction, renovation projects and other capital improvements.

Leah Carper, an English teacher at Northern Guilford High School, was named the 2022 Burroughs Wellcome Fund North Carolina Teacher of the Year during an awards luncheon today at the Umstead Hotel in Cary. Carper was selected from a field of nine finalists representing the state’s eight education districts and charter schools.

Five high school finalist teams competed in the annual North Carolina Jr. Chef cook-off this month to create unique school lunch entrée recipes. Apex High from Wake County Public Schools won first place in North Carolina’s fifth statewide and second virtual competition. The “Spice Girl’s” Sope recipe intertwined familial heritage with innovative flavors. Their recipe was a twist on a traditional Mexican street food: a masa shell topped with seasoned chicken, beans, pineapple salsa, cabbage, queso fresco and crema.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt recognized her Student Advisory Council earlier this month during the March meeting of the State Board of Education.

Twenty-five school leaders from across North Carolina have been selected for the inaugural cohort of the Assistant Principal (AP) Accelerator Leadership Program.

About 8.2% of North Carolina teachers were counted as leaving employment in the state’s public schools during the 2020-21 school year, according to a report presented today to the State Board of Education. This represents an increase of only two-thirds of one percentage point from the prior school year, which state education leaders said is a remarkably stable rate in light of the massive disruption forced by COVID-19.

A new report analyzing the performance of North Carolina students during last year’s far-reaching COVID-19 disruptions finds that learning progress slowed across all grades and subjects. The report from the N.C. Department of Public Instruction’s Office of Learning Recovery and Acceleration (OLR) showed that students made less progress, on average, than students in the same grades and courses in previous years. Results presented today to the State Board of Education show also that students who experienced more face-to-face learning in the classroom, and where specific and targeted resources and supports were implemented immediately, made stronger gains than students who learned only virtually.

When students and teachers at Guilford County’s Page High School gathered this morning for a school-wide assembly, they thought they were just getting a break from class to welcome a visit from State Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt and Guilford County Schools Superintendent Sharon Contreras. Truitt’s opening remarks, complimenting their school’s successes and achievements, hinted at nothing more.

Superintendent Catherine Truitt is launching a new Parent Advisory Commission to elevate the voice of parents in students’ education.

North Carolina has long been home to a large population of active duty, guard, reserve and veteran armed service members. In recognition of the state’s rich military history, the Department of Public Instruction is pleased to recognize hundreds of schools as part of its Purple Star Award Designation initiative which first launched in the 2019-20 school year.

Nine outstanding public school principals have been selected as regional Wells Fargo North Carolina Principals of the Year who will now compete for the state title of 2022 Wells Fargo North Carolina Principal of the Year. The winner will succeed the 2021 recipient, Dr. Elena Ashburn, principal of Needham Broughton High School (Wake County Public Schools).

Two North Carolina elementary school teachers were honored this week as recipients of the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, the highest award K-12 teachers can receive for instruction in those two subjects by the federal government. In all, 102 teachers nationwide were named by President Joe Biden as 2020 award recipients in an announcement earlier this week.

Five teams of high school students enrolled in food and nutrition and culinary arts courses will vie for the state title in the 2022 North Carolina Jr. Chef Competition. Based on applications and recipes submitted, teams from Apex High (Wake County Public Schools), Ashe County High, Monroe High and Parkwood High (Union County Public Schools), and Swain County High were selected as finalists in the statewide cook-off next month.

The N.C. Department of Public Instruction announced today a collaboration with Microsoft and Prodigy Learning to bring the award winning ‘Coding in Minecraft’ credential program to all middle school students across the state over a three-year period. 

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) has launched a new web-based resource to promote promising practices that motivate, engage and provide measurable results in North Carolina’s public schools. This new Promising Practices Clearinghouse will support teachers, administrators, district personnel, and other education advocates seeking strategies that have proven successful in North Carolina districts.

The National Board of Professional Teaching Standards has announced that North Carolina continues to lead the nation with teachers who hold national board certification, with 399 teachers achieving this demanding certification in 2020-21.

The western campus of the North Carolina Governor’s school will have a new home beginning this summer, moving from High Point University, where it was located for the last three years, to Winston-Salem State University.