Districts and schools across the state and nation will show their love next week for their school bus drivers along with their valentines. Nationally, February is Love the Bus month; and in North Carolina, Feb. 13-17 is School Bus Driver Appreciation Week.
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In a conference call meeting today, the State Board of Education hired Dr. Eric Hall, president and CEO of Communities In Schools of North Carolina, to lead the new NC Achievement School District.
Five North Carolina school districts have earned recognition by the College Board for boosting both participation and performance on Advanced Placement exams during the last three years.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and Onslow County Schools were recognized at the February State Board of Education meeting for achieving Global-Ready designation.
North Carolina’s public high school dropout rate improved slightly in 2015-16, according to data compiled by the N.C. Department of Public Instruction. As reported in the 2015-16 Consolidated Data Report, which will be presented to the State Board of Education Feb. 2, the state’s dropout rate ticked down to 2.29 percent from 2.39 percent the previous year. In 2015-16, 10,889 students dropped out, compared to 11,190 students the previous year
Hoke County Public Schools recently received the Green Ribbon School District Award from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) Safe and Healthy Schools Support Division and will now represent the state in national competition.
Numbers of reportable acts of school crime, long-term suspensions, expulsions and corporal punishment events decreased in 2015-16, while the number of short-term suspensions increased, according to the N.C. Department of Public Instruction’s 2015-16 Consolidated Data Report. This report will be presented Feb. 2 to the State Board of Education. The total number of reportable acts of school crime decreased 3.2 percent from the 2014-15 school year. Approximately 1.5 million students attended public schools in 2015-16.
Under the five-year program, Advancing Charter Collaboration and Excellence for Student Success, or NC ACCESS, the Department of Public Instruction expects to award five-year grants of up to $600,000 to 10 schools this year and 40 additional schools during the next four years.
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 and will now compete for the title of 2017 Burroughs Wellcome Fund North Carolina Teacher of the Year. The winner succeeds the 2016 Teacher of the Year, Bobbie Cavnar, a high school English and journalism teacher at South Point High in Gaston County.
Last week, the Wake County Superior Court granted our motion for a temporary restraining order to stop unconstitutional legislation that attempted to transfer the constitutional powers and duties of the State Board of Education to the Superintendent of Public Instruction. Earlier this week, Chief Justice Mark Martin assigned a three-judge panel to hear the case. The three-judge panel was scheduled to go forward tomorrow morning (Friday, Jan. 6) with a hearing on our motion for a preliminary injunction.