Press Releases

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.

To address North Carolina’s growing need for a skilled and competent workforce, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt today called for new steps to ensure that all students graduate well prepared for postsecondary opportunities.

Partnering with the North Carolina Principals and Assistant Principals’ Association (NCPAPA) and the Belk Foundation, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) and its partners will establish the Assistant Principal Accelerator Program, a statewide leadership initiative for rigorously selected Assistant Principals with a high potential for being fast-tracked into principalship.

Nine teachers from across North Carolina have been selected as the state’s regional Teachers of the Year for their dedication, innovation and ability to inspire students to achieve.

Two years after its launch, the teacher recruitment initiative TeachNC reports that it has significantly exceeded its second-year goals, with more than 1,400 aspiring teachers applying to an educator preparation program in 2021, following over 600 applying during its first year.

Twenty-seven teachers from across North Carolina have been selected as finalists for the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT) 2022 Prudential NC Beginning Teacher of the Year Award in honor of their dedication, innovation and ability to inspire students to achieve.

Students in schools across North Carolina this week are participating in an “Hour of Code,” a centerpiece of Computer Science Education Week running through Friday, to spark their interest in the high-demand field of computer technology.

Yesterday, the North Carolina General Assembly unveiled the state budget, SB 105, which includes historic investment in education. N.C. Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt issued the below statement in response:

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction's (DPI) Office of Early Learning has developed and released a new virtual resource.

Teachers in North Carolina’s public schools will have more of a voice in state-level decisions under a new Teacher Leadership Council launched by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt and unveiled to the State Board of Education by Special Advisor on Teacher Engagement Julie Pittman.

Today, Superintendent Truitt released the following statement regarding the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) for vaccines.

The State Board of Education (SBE) approved funding today for the Department of Public Instruction to kick off a statewide initiative to create a “portrait of a graduate” to better define the skills students need for success after high school.

Four North Carolina public school districts won state-level recognition this week from the N.C. Department of Public Instruction for providing high quality summer nutrition programs serving children.

Three Wilmington-area recipients of this year’s national Green Ribbon Awards were showcased today by federal and state education officials as they concluded their three-day “Green Strides” tour of North Carolina schools that teach and model sustainability and environmental awareness.