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.
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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.