Ernst & Young (EY), a globally respected business and government professional services firm, has been tapped to lead an operational assessment of the N.C. Department of Public Instruction, state Superintendent Mark Johnson announced today. Johnson said that the department was ready to assist the professionals at EY with the project.

“I have been advocating for a third-party evaluation of DPI’s operations since before I was elected,” said Johnson. “This project will look at how we are structured, what kind of work we do, and our business processes to see what’s working well and what can be improved. We look forward to working with EY and reviewing the findings to improve our service to North Carolina’s students and educators.”

EY was chosen as part of a competitive bidding process and will begin work immediately. EY has extensive experience in K-12 education consulting, including working with multiple state education agencies, many school districts, and a host of education stakeholder groups.