February 2016 - NC Public School Partners Newsletter

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February 2016

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DPI to Conduct Public Input Sessions Regarding NC’s ESSA Plan

Public Input Sessions

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed by President Obama on Dec. 10, 2015, and reauthorizes the 50-year-old Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the nation’s national education law and longstanding commitment to equal opportunity for all students.

The ESSA outlines a return to more state-focused accountability for student learning and a stronger focus on high school graduation and preschool education. To gather feedback that will inform the drafting of North Carolina’s ESSA plan, DPI staff will conduct a series of public input sessions across the state this April and May.

To learn more about the ESSA and related programs, please visit the Federal Program Monitoring and Support website. Dates, times and locations for these input sessions should be posted to this website in the coming weeks.

NC TWC Survey to Launch March 1

NC's Teacher Working Conditions Initiative

The North Carolina Teacher Working Conditions (NC TWC) survey is an anonymous statewide survey of licensed school-based educators to assess teaching conditions at the school, district and state level. First administered in 2002 as part of the Governor's Teacher Working Conditions Initiative, the survey is conducted biennially. The 2016 NC TWC Survey will launch on March 1 and the survey window will run to March 25.

For the past 12 years, the survey has been a platform used to amplify educator’s voices concerning working conditions in their schools and districts. The results of this survey are used to inform policy at the school, district and state levels. Feedback from the survey also serves as a component of school and district improvement plans and is used in NC’s educator and school administrator evaluations. For more information, visit the NC TWC website.

Nominations for 2016 NC PAEMST Awards Due April 1

Presidential Award for Excellence in Science and Math Teaching (PAEMST)

April 1 is the deadline to nominate elementary teachers (grades K-6) for the 2016 North Carolina Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST). The PAEMST Awards is the highest honor bestowed by the United States government specifically for K-12 mathematics and science teaching.

Anyone – principals, teachers, parents, students, or members of the general public – may nominate a teacher by completing the nomination form available on the PAEMST website. Nominees may recommend more than one educator and must provide each teacher’s name, email address, and school contact information. Teachers also may apply. 

One mathematics teacher and one science teacher will be selected from North Carolina. Each will receive a $10,000 award and a trip to Washington, D.C. to attend the National Awards Recognition Program. Secondary school teachers (grades 7-12) will be eligible to apply during a future cycle.

Celebrate NC Schools Highlights Stories from the “READY” Initiative

READY

From 2010 through 2015, state and local school leaders used $400 million in federal Race to the Top grant funds to strengthen teaching and learning in North Carolina. A new section on Celebrate NC Schools features a series of short stories highlighting how these grant funds were used in a multi-strategy approach, branded the "READY" initiative, to transform education in the classroom, district and state.

State Board of Education Meetings

  • Mar. 2-3, 2016
  • Apr. 6-7, 2016
  • May 4-5, 2016

 

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