The Friday Report

May 17, 2019

Forum News

Ta-Nehisi Coates to Headline “Color of Education 2019” Summit in North Carolina

The Public School Forum of North Carolina, Duke Policy Bridge at the Sanford School of Public Policy and the Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity at Duke University, announced today that award-winning author Ta-Nehisi Coates will headline “Color of Education 2019,” their second annual summit focused on race, equity and education in North Carolina. The inaugural event in October 2018 featured New York Times Magazine reporter and MacArthur “Genius” Fellow Nikole Hannah-Jones. This one day convening will include a full day of workshops and presentations focused on racial equity and eliminating racial disparities in education.

Saturday, October 26, 2019, Raleigh Convention Center

Want to be notified when registration opens? Click here.

Legislative Update

Legislative Update: Teacher Pipeline Edition

As the Senate continues its work on a budget proposal, it’s been a relatively quiet week on the education front. This week’s legislative update will focus on bills that lawmakers have filed throughout this session that relate to the recent work of the Professional Educator Preparation and Standards Commission. These proposals would have a notable impact on both teacher candidates and current classroom teachers.

The Professional Educator Preparation and Standards Commission (PEPSC), created by Senate Bill 599, is an advisory body to the North Carolina State Board of Education (SBE). PEPSC, with input from other stakeholders, advises the State Board on proposed policy changes that impact teacher preparation, licensure, continuing education, and standards of conduct for public school educators.

House Bill 979: High-Quality Teacher Professional Development

Sponsor(s): Ball; Horn; Gill (Primary) Autry; Belk; Cunningham; Dahle; Everitt; Farmer-Butterfield; Fisher; Floyd; Garrison; Harrison; Hawkins; Holley; Hunt; Logan; Lucas; Majeed; Morey; Quick; Russell; Terry; Wray

Status: Ref to the Com on Appropriations, Education, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House

Summary: House bill 979, if it becomes law, would require that the State Board of Education, with consultation from the Professional Educator Preparation and Standards Commission (PEPSC), to offer at least five professional development courses for teachers in school systems across the state through the Department of Instruction. These courses would satisfy Continuing Education Unit (CEU) requirements and would take the form of one of three proposed models:

Online, instructor-led learning model;
Blended instruction (partially online and partially in person); or
Self -paced course that would be online and would allow the teacher to take the course at their own pace.

The bill appropriates $150,000 in recurring funds and $86,000 in non-recurring funds for 2019-20 and $274,000 in recurring and $90,000 in non-recurring funds for 2020-21 for the development of these courses.

While this bill is not specific in naming the topics that will be covered in the coursework, it would prompt the Department of Public Instruction to identify some areas of need for the professional development of teachers across the state and offer courses that could help teachers feel more supported in their roles. These courses would most likely not be content specific and would instead focus on topics such classroom management, curriculum development, etc.

House Bill 107: PED Oversight/EPP Changes

Sponsor(s): Horn; Farmer-Butterfield; Lucas (Primary) Graham; Reives

Status: Passed the House, Ref To Com On Rules and Operations of the Senate

Summary: Educator Preparation Programs (EPPs) are held to standards contained in an accountability model that was codified in last year’s SB 599. The accountability model also includes sanction requirements if EPPs fail to meet the standards laid out in the accountability model. EPPs are held accountable by four performance measures that are reported through disaggregated information. If an EPP does not meet the standards set by even just one category they are in danger of being sanctioned.

HB107 would make changes to the accountability performance measures by removing measure

“(4) Quality of students entering the EPP, including average grade point average and average score on pre-professional skills tests or college entrance exams that assess reading, writing, mathematics, and other competencies.”

and replacing it with a standard that states

“The two-year retention rate for individuals who completed an EPP and became initially licensed and employed in a North Carolina public school.”

The current law is problematic because Standard (4) – Quality of Students entering the EPP – is an input that EPP’s cannot control, and would compel them to be strategic in who they admit into their programs. This could have the consequence of restricting access to teacher candidates of color from lower socio-economic backgrounds, and teacher candidates who may not have performed well on standardized tests. If the proposed language in HB 107 becomes law, a new concern would arise around the ability of EPPs to control where and for how long their graduates teach in North Carolina.

Regardless of whether or not HB 107 passes, there is a broader concern around the fact that current law states that if an EPP fails to meet any of the four accountability standards in place, they will be sanctioned, which ultimately could lead to revocation of the program’s accreditation

Education Matters

Due to national sports programming we are preempted this Saturday on WRAL-TV. We’ll be airing an encore episode on FOX 50 and UNC-TV’s NC Channel on Sunday of our special 100th show: “How Do We Keep Our Children Safe?.” In this episode we explore the topics of rising teen suicide rates and self-harm, as well as untreated mental health conditions of children and adolescents. To view last week’s episode: Teacher Rally Recap and Exploring the House Budget, click here.

Next week we’ll be back with a brand new episode. We explore the alarming increase in vaping and e-cigarette use among students. Guests include NC Attorney General Josh Stein and Dr. Susan Kansagra from the NC Division of Public Health.

When and Where to Watch Education Matters

Sunday at 8:00 AM, FOX 50 (Raleigh/Durham/Fayetteville)

Sunday at 6:30 AM and Wednesday at 9:30 AM, UNC-TV’s North Carolina Channel (Statewide)

The North Carolina Channel can be found on Time Warner Cable/Spectrum Channel 1276 or check your local listings and other providers here.

Online at ncforum.local.

Education Matters is also available as a podcast on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, Overcast, and Google Play Music

North Carolina Resilience & Learning Project’s New Monthly Newsletter, Resilience Reader

The Resilience Reader is a new monthly newsletter for anyone interested in issues such as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), childhood trauma, resilience and the power of trauma-informed schools and communities. Sign up for our monthly Resilience Reader to stay connected and informed.

2019 Jay Robinson Education Leadership Award Gala

James (Jim) and Barbara Goodmon are the recipients of the 2019 Public School Forum of North Carolina Jay Robinson Education Leadership Award. The Forum established the award in 2000 to recognize leaders who have demonstrated innovative, creative, and effective leadership for public education in North Carolina. Mr. and Mrs. Goodmon will be honored at a gala event on Thursday, May 30, at the Raleigh Convention Center.

Jim Goodmon, chairman and CEO of Capitol Broadcasting Company, and Barbara Goodmon, president of the A.J. Fletcher Foundation, have spent decades finding innovative ways to meet their community’s needs—and public education has been at the top of their agenda. As actively engaged philanthropists and changemakers, the Goodmons have promoted effective and high-quality human services for disadvantaged people and communities and spearheaded efforts to ensure North Carolina’s citizens have access to first-class early childhood education and public schools across the state.

Complimentary NC Educator Tickets

Each year the Public School Forum reserves complimentary tickets for NC educators to join us for the Jay Robinson Education Leadership Award Gala. Complimentary tickets will be given on a first come, first served basis with priority given to Public School Forum program participants.

To request a ticket, fill out the form here. We will notify those selected on Thursday, May 16, 2019. Please note that filling out the request form does not guarantee you will receive a ticket. Please contact Irene Mone at 919-781-6833 ext. 102 or [email protected] with any questions.

Event Details:

Thursday, May 30, 2019

Raleigh Convention Center

6:00 p.m. Reception, 7:00 p.m. Dinner and Program

To purchase event tickets, click below.

Purchase Tickets & Tables

If you are interested in sponsorship opportunities, please contact Marisa Bryant at [email protected].

State News

‘Nothing’s Really Changed’: NC Teaching Fellows Still Enrolling Mostly White Female Students

Photo Credit: WRAL.

A North Carolina program that recruits top students to become teachers by providing college tuition help has once again enrolled mostly white, mostly female students for the 133 spots this year, according to demographic data reviewed by WRAL News.

Of the students selected for the North Carolina Teaching Fellows program this year, 81 percent are white and 86 percent are women. Last year, 83 percent were white and 82 percent were women.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Hinchcliffe, K. “Nothing’s really changed: Nc Teaching Fellows still enrolling mostly white female students.” WRAL. 5/15/19.

School Board Axes Grant Funds For Equity Training

Photo Credit: Unsplash

With a 5 to 1 vote, Rockingham County School Board members axed grant funding for school staff equity training Monday night and decided to return $16,000 to an area non-profit.

Equity training has been a contentious subject among board members and the public for months, with some citizens telling the board such diversity training is tantamount to “white bashing.’’

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Spear, S. “School board axes grant funds for equity training.” Rockingham Now. 5/9/19.

Edgecombe County School Leader Named 2019 NC Principal of the Year

Matthew Bristow-Smith, a past regional teacher of the year who has led Edgecombe Early College High School to high student performance for the last five years, was named Wells Fargo North Carolina Principal of the Year at an awards luncheon today in Cary.

The small, application-based high school earned an “A” school performance grade and exceeded its growth target in each of the last four years during Bristow-Smith’s tenure.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Department of Public Instruction. “Edgecombe County School Leader Named 2019 NC Principal of the Year.” DPI. 5/10/19.

NC Virtual Charter School Can Stay Open. But It will Face More State Scrutiny.

Clark Eselgroth dances in an advanced program at the International Ballet Academy in Cary when most others his age are in classrooms. Eselgroth, a sophomore, moved from Asheville to Cary three years ago and was soon confronted with how to balance. Photo Credit: Travis Long, The New & Observer.

One of North Carolina’s two virtual charter schools will be allowed to break away from a for-profit management company, but it will be placed under sharp state scrutiny as it transitions to becoming a locally operated online school.

The State Board of Education voted Monday to allow N.C. Connections Academy to no longer be managed by Pearson Online and Blended Learning, part of the international company Pearson that publishes textbooks and sells a wide range of education products. The state board opted not to reject the request, which could have forced Connections to close.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Hui, K . “NC Virtual Charter school can stay open. But it will face more state scrutiny.” The News & Observer. 5/13/19

Leandro Commission Discusses Draft Recommendations For the First Time

Commission members discuss draft priorities at the Governor’s Commission on Access to Sound Basic Educationt. Photo Credit: Liz Bell, EducationNC.

The Governor’s Commission on Access to Sound Basic Education, which is attempting to lay out a plan to meet the state’s Leandro obligation, has met and heard presentations from outside individuals and groups for the last year on everything from school support personnel roles to balanced accountability systems to teacher preparation.

Tuesday, for the first time, the commission shared glimpses of the recommendations its work groups have been creating in private sessions. Those work groups focus on different aspects of the educational system: funding and resources, teachers, principals, early childhood, and assessment and accountability.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Bell, L. “Leandro commission discusses dreaft recommendations for the first time.” EducationNc. 5/15/19.

NC No Longer Requires Proctors. But Some Schools Still Want Them For Test ‘Security.’

The teachers at Lacy Elementary School in Raleigh have produced a parody video offering strategies for students taking the upcoming state end-of-grade exams. Photo Credit: McClatchy

North Carolina public schools are still scrambling to find volunteer proctors for end-of-year exams even though the state no longer requires this additional level of test security.

Unlike past years, the state Department of Public Instruction is now leaving it up to individual schools and districts whether to have proctors in classrooms monitoring teachers and students during state exams. The state’s two largest districts are taking different approaches, with Wake County no longer requiring the proctors in most cases but Charlotte-Mecklenburg saying it’s not making any changes.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Hui, K. NC no longer requires proctors. But some schools still want them for test security” The News and Observer. 5/16/19.

National News

‘Threatening the Future’: The High Stakes of Deepening School Segregation

Students arrive at school in Chicago. A new report found that school segregation across the country was deeper in 2016 than it was in 1988. Photo Credit: Alyssa Schukar,The New York Times.

The 65th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education approaches on May 17, but fights over school segregation, rather than decreasing, are becoming more common. Cities like New York and San Francisco are debating how to assign students to schools in ways that foster classroom diversity, and school secession movements — in which parents seek to form their own, majority-white districts — are accelerating.

A new report from U.C.L.A. and Penn State outlines the changes in school segregation since the landmark Supreme Court ruling named after Oliver Brown, a black father who sued to enroll his daughter, Linda, in an all-white elementary school blocks from their home in Topeka, Kan.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Goldstein, D. “Threatening the Future: The High Stakes of Deepening School Segregation” The New York Timest. 5/10/19

Like Father, Like Son: Preschool Benefits Cross Generations, Says Landmark Study

. Photo Credit: Education Week.

The effects of the small, highly intensive Perry Preschool program continue to ripple out, not just for the original students but for their own children, too.

Students who attended the Ypsilanti, Mich., preschool between 1962 and 1967 are now in their mid-50s, and they continue to be healthier, more socially adept, and earn higher incomes than their peers who did not attend the program, according to two new studies released this morning. Moreover, University of Chicago researchers James Heckman and Ganesh Karapakula find the several hundred children born to those students—and particularly the boys—also grew up to have higher education and employment, and lower rates of displine in school or criminal behavior out of school.

To continue reading the complete article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Sparks, S. “Like Father, Like Son: Preschool Benefits Cross Generations, Says Landmark Study” Education Week. 5/14/19.

Opportunities

Public School Forum Seeks Program Coordinator

The Forum seeks a Program Coordinator to support the programmatic and policy work of the organization. The Program Coordinator will work with Forum staff in the efficient and high-impact implementation of programs, including the Beginning Teacher Leadership Network, the NC Education Policy Fellowship Program, the NC Center for Afterschool Programs, and the NC Institute for Educational Policymakers. He or she will support major Forum events, including our annual Jay Robinson Awards Gala, Eggs & Issues Breakfast, Color of Education Summit, and Synergy Conference. The Program Coordinator will also contribute to research and communications, as well as the Forum’s social media presence and website.

Interested candidates should submit cover letters and resumes to [email protected] Please include “Forum Program Coordinator” in the subject line.

The full job description can be found on our website here.

Applications Open for 2019-20 NC Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP)

The Public School Forum is accepting applications for the 2019-20 cohort of the North Carolina Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP).

The North Carolina Education Policy Fellowship Program is the only statewide program of its kind that focuses on leadership and professional development in the context of education policy. Fellows come from public schools, higher education, community colleges, and a diverse array of education organizations across North Carolina. Each class includes a cohort of fellows who focus on education policy issues and the wide range of factors that influence education in North Carolina. Fellows will increase their awareness of how public policy is made, learn whom the key players are in the formation of this policy, and become more confident and involved in the policy-making process.

Application information for both EPFP Central and EPFP West can be found online at https://www.ncforum.org/education-policy-fellowship-program/

Applications are due by June 30, 2019. Contact Lauren Bock, Director of Policy & Programs, at [email protected] with questions.

NCSSM Seeks Assistant Coordinator for Summer Student Engagement

The North Carolina School of Science & Math (NCSSM) is seeking candidates for its Assistant Coordinator for Summer Student Engagement Position. This position is to support, manage, and expand NCSSM’s extended programs, including, but not limited to, already existing summer programs. With a specific focus on student recruitment, enrollment, and communication, the Assistant Coordinator for Summer Student

Engagement’s responsibilities will include:

Admissions and enrollment
Communications and Marketing
Site supervision
Program management

How to Apply:

Submit electronic application via: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/northcarolina/. Please create an account, search for the Assistant Coordinator for Summer Student Engagement position vacancy, and complete/submit online application. Deadline: May 20, 2019.

The Friday Report is published weekly by the Public School Forum of NC and is distributed to Forum members, policymakers, donors, media, and Forum subscribers. Archived editions can be found at ncforum.local.