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Nearly 1 million North Carolina public school students last year were eligible to receive free or reduced-priced school meals through the National School Lunch Program. But only a little more than 100,000 of them received meals during the summer months through the state’s Summer Nutrition Programs.
Making good on the promise he made when he entered office, State Superintendent Mark Johnson today announced initiatives to reduce the testing currently required for students in North Carolina’s public schools. The steps come after getting feedback from parents and teachers. Recent surveys showed a high percentage feel that students are taking too many tests. These steps are in addition to changes that have already been taken over the last two years by Johnson.
The academic gains North Carolina schools achieved last year are in the spotlight as communities across the state commend their schools and educators with presentations of award certificates from State Superintendent Mark Johnson.
State Superintendent Mark Johnson visited one of the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Florence today to announce major new corporate support for Florence Aid for Students and Teachers in NC (FAST NC). FAST NC is a bi-partisan initiative created last fall after so many North Carolina Schools were affected by the storm.
With 557 North Carolina teachers earning their national certification this month, North Carolina continues to lead the nation with the most teachers holding the credential from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.
Summer Nutrition Programs fulfill a critical need in providing nourishment and educational enrichment to children when school is out. Fifteen Summer Nutrition Programs in North Carolina were recently recognized with one of three state-level awards for going above and beyond to serve children.
State Superintendent Mark Johnson announced today that an additional $35 million has been awarded to school districts affected by Hurricane Florence, meaning all $60 million appropriated by the General Assembly on Oct. 15 as part of the Hurricane Florence Disaster Recovery Fund has been distributed to schools. Funding in the first round of awards, announced Oct. 16 and totaling $25 million, was focused on assisting districts in reopening closed schools. Monday, districts learned of the awards in this final round, which total $35 million and are intended to again assist districts with
North Carolina’s high school class of 2018 saw performance gains over the previous year’s graduates on the SAT college admissions exam while also opening a wider margin with the nation overall, according to results released today by The College Board, which administers the national exams.
State Superintendent Mark Johnson announced today that the N.C. Department of Public Instruction is disbursing $60 million in emergency capital funding for the public schools damaged by Hurricane Florence: $25 million from the N.C. Education Lottery fund and $35 million appropriated by the General Assembly Monday from the state’s rainy-day fund. The funds will go toward emergency capital needs for damaged schools in the 28 counties designated in President Donald Trump’s disaster declaration following the storm and flooding in September.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has awarded an $8.8 million grant to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction in support of NC Project ACTIVATE, a five-year program that increases mental health awareness for students, provides training for staff in recognizing and accommodating students with mental health needs, continues research into early prevention plans for substance abuse, and more.