Welcome Back to School!
While I've heard and seen this proclamation numerous times over the past couple of weeks, the overwhelming reality right now is that schools never really closed. Teachers never really stopped teaching. Administrators and school staff never really ceased to keep things going. Kids never really left the classroom because, in these last two years, the classroom has been wherever the student was. So, here we are at the beginning of another school year, and the message behind this message is HOPE. Hope for safe schools and healthy people. Hope for student engagement and community partnership. Hope for cheering on our teams and celebrating successes. Hope for all the things we've missed. But I also hope that this is a time when we can continue to rethink education and our public schools. I've visited so many schools this summer that inspired innovation and creativity in ways that they never have before. I'm in awe of the incredible work that went into learning recovery AND acceleration. I'm humbled to know so many dedicated educators who never gave up and helped our students and families get to this point. Even though times are still uncertain, I am hopeful that together we are making NC the best place to teach and learn!
 The Hunt-Lee Commission
The Hunt-Lee Commission will identify and apply high-impact strategies for strengthening systems across the education continuum in North Carolina.
“The Hunt Institute is proud to convene leaders from across the field of education, as well as representatives from the business and philanthropic communities,” said Dr. Javaid Siddiqi, president & CEO of The Hunt Institute. “The Hunt-Lee Commission provides an exciting opportunity to take a close look at long-standing challenges in the education space and identify innovative solutions.”
Named after four-term North Carolina Governor James B. Hunt, Jr. and Institute Board Members Senator Howard Lee and Senator Michael Lee, the commission will convene leaders from across North Carolina over the next year. The commission’s goal is to reach consensus on topics and actionable policy levers that could move the needle on education in North Carolina.
Read more about this at the Hunt Institute or in this article from EdNC.
 Save the Date: AIM Conference
School districts and charter schools will be able to bring teams of leaders (including teachers) to this new conference focused on "Accelerating, Invigorating, and Motivating" educators at every level. Look for updates to be posted on the AIM 2021 Conference website.
NCCAT Opportunities: Do you need professional development? NCCAT has many residential, remote, and district level PD opportunities.
Legislative Update: Link to the bi-weekly Legislative Update that highlights government and community affairs activity around education.
State Board of Education Agenda: The State Board of Education meets the first week of each month. The April meeting is scheduled for April 7-8. The agenda is available two weeks before the meeting. Check back here for updates and materials. Click HERE for Live Stream via YouTube.
Governor and DHHS Updates: DHHS gives a monthly update about COVID. You can find vaccine information here. Governor Cooper signed Senate Bill 654 into law, stating that local school boards can shift their schools to remote instruction with COVID-19 emergencies. Read more about this bill here and here.
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