Press Releases

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The North Carolina State Board of Education is pleased to announce the selection of Drew Elliot as the director of Communication and Information Services for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.
The superintendent of North Carolina’s new statewide school district created to include some of the state’s lowest-performing schools outlined to the State Board of Education today the broad framework of the initiative, which is aimed at turning around a number of the state’s chronically struggling schools.
North Carolina public school students who rely on federally-funded School Nutrition Programs during the school year can now “Meet Up to Eat Up” thanks to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) School Nutrition Services’ Summer Nutrition Programs.
Three students from Green Hope High School in Wake County took top honors at the 2017 Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) U.S. National Championship recently held in Orlando, Fla. The competition, sponsored by Certiport, included more than 320,000 total entrants and 124 finalists.
School nutrition managers from across the state have the opportunity to participate in regional K-12 Culinary Institute workshops this summer. The institute, designed to increase the availability of fresh, appealing, nutritious meals at school, is funded in part by a training grant the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) School Nutrition Services received from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Students from Johnston County Schools and McDowell County Schools received top honors in the North Carolina Summer Nutrition Programs Artwork contest. The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) School Nutrition Services staff invited students to design artwork to help increase the visibility of its Summer Nutrition Programs.
Buncombe County Schools, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, Rockingham County Schools and the YMCA of Western North Carolina are among the first summer nutrition program sponsors nationwide to receive the Turnip the Beet awards. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) sponsors the award to recognize outstanding summer nutrition program sponsors that work hard to offer high quality meals that are appetizing, appealing and nutritious.
NC Superintendent Mark Johnson will visit C.C. Spaulding Elementary School on Thursday, June 8, at 10 a.m., to help students select books for summer reading as part of Book Harvest’s Books on Break program. C. C. Spaulding is located at 1531 S. Roxboro Street, Durham.
NC Superintendent Mark Johnson will participate in a special literacy support event hosted by Reach Out and Read and the Wake County Child Health Clinic on Tuesday, June 6, at 2:30 p.m. The event will be held at the Wake County Child Health Clinic, 10 Sunnybrook Road, Raleigh.
Twenty-nine of the state’s best school bus drivers spent last Thursday navigating a big yellow school bus through an obstacle course that tested their skills in mastering a diminishing clearance, backing, making a tight turn and parallel parking. When all was said and done, Hertford County school bus driver Eric Turner was named the best of the best winning the state’s annual School Bus ROADeo held at the NC State Fairgrounds in Raleigh.
The principal of an elementary school in one of the state's smallest counties was named Wells Fargo North Carolina Principal of the Year for 2017 during an awards luncheon today in Cary. Winning the title of the state's top school administrator is Jason Griffin, principal of Hertford Grammar School in Perquimans County, near Elizabeth City in the northeastern corner of the state.
NC Superintendent Mark Johnson marked National Teacher Appreciation Week (May 8-12) and National Teacher Day (May 9) by posting a video message to teachers across North Carolina public schools and public charter schools.
The State Board of Education has hired Cecilia Holden as its new director of Legislative Affairs. She began work with the Board and Department of Public Instruction last week. 
The State Board of Education will hold a special Every Student Succeeds Act planning and work session on Tuesday, May 2, with approximately 20 local school superintendents to ensure that the local district perspective is incorporated into North Carolina’s state accountability plan and to hear other concerns and ideas from schools and districts.
April is the Month of the Military Child. This awareness month recognizes the children of our brave service members and reiterates our commitment to supporting our nation’s military and our North Carolina military families.
“I commend the NC House, NC Senate, and the superintendents across North Carolina on working for a positive compromise that has our students as their shared top priority. Now, we all must confront that this debate highlights the need for greater transparency and modern data systems that accurately count and report teachers and class size. Together, we can stop debating the facts and instead focus on solutions.”
<p>Ellerbe Middle and Rockingham Middle (Richmond County Schools), and Newton-Conover STEM Middle (Newton-Conover City Schools) are the latest North Carolina middle schools to be named&nbsp;Schools to Watch&nbsp;by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform. The schools&rsquo; emphasis on strong academics, sensitivity to young adolescents&rsquo; needs and interests, and commitment to providing all students equal access to a high-quality education resulted in the well-deserved recognition.</p>
<p>Yesterday, Superintendent of Public Instruction Mark Johnson filed his legal response in the State Board of Education&rsquo;s lawsuit against the State of North Carolina and the Superintendent of Public Instruction over House Bill 17</p>
Lisa Godwin, an Onslow County kindergarten teacher, was named the 2017 Burroughs Wellcome Fund North Carolina Teacher of the Year during an awards luncheon today in Cary. Godwin was selected from a field of nine finalists representing the state’s eight education districts and charter schools.
Joined by an excited group of kindergartners who had just enjoyed a special story time in the East Garner Elementary School media center, NC Superintendent Mark Johnson today announced the state’s NC Reads initiative.