RALEIGH, NC (October 28, 2020) – The Public School Forum of North Carolina is pleased to announce the launch of the Dudley Flood Center for Educational Equity and Opportunity (Flood Center), which will serve as a hub to identify and connect organizations, networks, and leaders to address issues of equity, access, and opportunity in education across North Carolina.
“After a year of intentional planning and collaboration, we are so excited to formally launch today the Dudley Flood Center for Educational Equity and Opportunity,” said Dr. Mary Ann Wolf, Executive Director of the Public School Forum of NC. “In addition, it is my great honor to announce the seventeen members of the Flood Center’s Advisory Board, who will guide the Center’s work as we endeavor to continue Dr. Flood’s legacy by addressing issues of equity and opportunity in education across North Carolina.”
“Thank you so much for this honor,” said Dr. Dudley Flood. “All my life I’ve worked for the same concept—that we can, whenever and wherever we choose, educate any child whose education is of interest to us. Through the Flood Center, we will bring together all those who have made critical contributions to equity in education—and those who are willing to make such contributions — and together we will advance equity for this state and for this nation.”
The Flood Center is born out of the findings and recommendations of the Forum’s Study Group XVI: Expanding Educational Opportunity (2016), co-chaired by Dr. Flood, as well as the Forum’s Color of Education partnership, which aims to achieve racial equity in education across North Carolina through building connections and engagement across fields of research, policy and practice. The Flood Center aims to continue this work by informing discussions on policies impacting equity & social justice, supporting and advancing equity-focused educator programming, and promote discussions around how schools are funded at the local and state levels, in hopes of achieving equity, access, and opportunity for all young people in North Carolina.
As a part of the Center’s formal launch, we are pleased to announce a new Advisory Board that will guide our work moving forward:
Flood Center Advisory Board
Dr. Tawannah Allen, High Point University
Tom Bradshaw, Jr., Emeritus Board Member
Matt Bristow-Smith, Edgecombe Early College High School
Tracey Burns, North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
Renee Cavan, Truist
Nicky Charles
Dr. Scott Elliott, Watauga County Schools
Dr. Alice Garrett, Flood Group
Dr. Anthony Graham, Winston Salem State University
Dr. Patricia Hilliard, Friday Institute for Educational Innovation
Dr. Martinette Horner, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Dr. Connie Locklear, Public Schools of Robeson County
Ann McColl, The Innovation Project
Dr. Marjorie Campo Ringler, East Carolina University
Dr. Kathy Spencer, Southeast Education Alliance
David Young, Participate Learning, Public School Forum BOD Representative
Dr. Dudley Flood, Honorary Member
We are also pleased to announce the upcoming Flood Center Student Voices Webinar Series.
The Flood Center will convene education stakeholders over the next several months to hear directly from students on topics related to equity and education.
- Webinar 1: Teaching History: 1619, 1776, and Today
- Webinar 2: Critical Conversations and Deeper Learning: Pedagogy with an Equity Lens
- Webinar 3: Increasing Diversity in STEM
- Webinar 4: Student Views on Equity: Discipline, Policing, and Access
The Flood Center was made possible through support from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund and Sandra and Peter Conway.
For media inquiries, please contact Dr. Mary Ann Wolf at 919-781-6833 x105 or mawolf@ncforum.org.
To learn more about the Flood Center for Educational Equity and Opportunity and see a list of upcoming events and resources, please visit ncforum.local/floodcenter and join us in the fight for equity, access, and opportunity in education.
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About Dr. Dudley Flood
Dr. Dudley Flood is an educator and champion of school integration in North Carolina. In the years following the Brown v. Board of Education decision that mandated school desegregation in the United States, Dr. Flood traveled to every corner of the state to unite divided communities and work toward integrating our public schools. His legendary commitment to school integration and his belief that every child deserves an equitable educational opportunity will serve as the foundation and beacon for the work of the Forum’s new Center for Educational Equity and Opportunity.
About the Public School Forum of NC
Since 1986, the Public School Forum of North Carolina has been an indispensable and nonpartisan champion of public schools and the most trusted source in the state for research and analysis on vital education issues. We bring together leaders from business, education and government to study education issues, develop ideas, seek consensus, and ultimately inform and shape education policy. We do that through research, policy work, innovative programs, advocacy, and continuing education for educators and policymakers. Follow us on Twitter @theNCForum and visit our website at ncforum.local.
You could not have made a better selection than Dr Dudley Flood to honor . One of the finest individuals I have ever know in my 79 years! Congrats to Dudley and to the Forum for your choice. Mickey Faulk former Coach and Teacher
Dr. Flood was a Super Hero to many of us who where “Principals Kids” at the Summer Convention in Wilmington, NC (He is an icon & trailblazer for many that can look down and realize, you are standing on his shoulders.). MUCH DESERVED……!!!! Continued Success. 🙏🏽
Dr. Dudley Flood has been on the journey for improving the lives of so many for years. He has been a beacon of hope and inspiration. I will forever admire his leadership, passion, and dedication for achieving equality, equity, and excellence. He is truly a symbol of empathy, resilience, and determination.