North Carolina students and teachers have earned more than 300,000 professional certifications through the state’s Microsoft Imagine Academy, launched seven years ago as the Microsoft IT Academy. State education leaders today joined teachers, students, legislators and others in celebrating this milestone at the State Board of Education meeting in Raleigh.
Press Releases
Six North Carolina public schools today were named 2017 National Blue Ribbon Schools by U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. The six schools are among 342 schools nationwide recognized for their overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps.
Twenty-nine nonprofit boards have submitted applications to develop charter schools to open in August 2019. The deadline to submit an application through the N.C. Office of Charter Schools’ automated application system was Sept. 22.
Continuing a recent trend, more North Carolina high school students are taking and succeeding in college-level Advanced Placement courses, according to a report released today by The College Board, which administers the AP program and exams.
Today the N.C. Department of Public Instruction submitted the state’s application for funding under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). On Sept. 7, the N.C. State Board of Education approved North Carolina’s state plan to implement the federal legislation, which became law in December 2015.
North Carolina Superintendent Mark Johnson has announced that applications for funding through the new Needs-Based Public School Capital Fund are now available. The fund - more than $100 million over the next two years - was provided by the General Assembly to assist lower-wealth counties with their critical public school building capital needs. For this year and next year, funding will be available only to Tier 1 counties. In later years, Tier 2 counties will also be eligible.
In the fourth year of the state's A-F grading system, the percentage of A or B schools (35.8 percent) continued to climb and the percentage of D and F schools (22.6 percent) fell compared to the 2015-16 school year, according to school accountability data released today to the State Board of Education. In addition, the state's four-year high school cohort graduation rate continued its upward trend, moving to 86.5 percent from the 85.9 percent figure from the 2015-16 school year. North Carolina's public schools have set a record graduation rate for a 12th consecutive year.
Eric Hall, the superintendent of the newly created North Carolina Innovative School District (NCISD), today announced the schools that qualify for consideration for this new statewide intervention model for low-performing schools. A list of the schools that qualify can be found here. The NCISD will now begin the task of selecting the first schools to participate, beginning in the 2018-19 school year. There are 48 qualifying schools on the list for consideration from across 21 school districts in North Carolina. Launched in 2017, NCISD is focused on improving student and school outcomes in low-performing schools by creating a collaborative and accountable partnership with school districts and local communities.
The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) today announced the 2017-18 United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) policy for free and reduced-price meals for children enrolled in North Carolina schools. The USDA’s school meals programs help ensure all students have access to wholesome, nutritious, appealing meals at school.
North Carolina Superintendent Mark Johnson announced Wednesday that the Department of Public Instruction is now accepting grant applications for the new $400,000 Coding and Mobile App Development competitive grant program. The program will fund up to $40,000 per school to develop industry partnerships to design and implement computer science, coding, and mobile app development programs for middle school and high school students.
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.