Number 10

Nominate High School Seniors for the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program

Since 1964 the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program has recognized and honored over 8,000 outstanding high school seniors, and thereby encouraged high attainment among all students. In 2020, North Carolina was honored to have three students recognized as U.S. Presidential Scholars.

Each LEA and Charter may nominate two students: one for the General Education category and one for the Career and Technical category. From these LEA and Charter nominations, NCDPI will select and submit ten male and ten female candidates in the General category and five candidates for Career and Technical Education. Nominations are due to NCDPI on or before November 8, 2021.

Read the full memo here.

If you have any questions, contact Sneha Shah-Coltrane.

Number 9

Eight NC Schools Named 2021 National Blue Ribbon Schools

Congratulations to the eight NC public schools who were named National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2021!

These eight schools are among 325 schools nationwide recognized this year for their overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps.

North Carolina public schools receiving this honor are:

• Pender Early College High School, Pender County Schools
• Sampson Early College High School, Sampson County Schools
• Pearsontown Elementary School, Durham Public Schools
• Elkin Middle School, Elkin City Schools
• Brush Creek Elementary School, Madison County Schools
• Union Elementary School, Lincoln County Schools
• Blue Ridge Elementary School, Ashe County Schools
• Sallie B. Howard Charter School, Wilson

Read the full press release here.

Number 8

Revised: DHHS COVID-19 Control Measures in Schools

DHHS has revised the COVID-19 Control Measures in Schools. This updated guidance can be found here.

For questions, please contact StrongSchoolsNC@dhhs.nc.gov.

Number 7

Reminder: GEER Funds

PSUs have one year left to spend GEER funds (PRC 169 and PRC 170). In 2020, Gov. Cooper awarded aid to PSUs in response to the pandemic to support student wellness and supplemental instructional services.

GEER I funds must be obligated by September 30, 2022 and liquidated within 90 days thereafter. As a reminder, the State Board recently expanded the allotment policy for PRC 169 to include wellness programming and mental health training (i.e., mental health first aid).

Number 6

MEMO: 2021 Exceptional Children Educator of Excellence Recognition

To read the memo on 2021 Exceptional Children Educator of Excellence Recognition from Dr. Catherine Edmonds and Sherry Thomas, click here. 

Number 5

DPI Announces Inaugural Cohort of Educators Who Will Lead NC into the Future as Rethink Education Facilitators for Blended Learning

This week, DPI announced an initial cohort of educators who will help lead the development of effective instructional approaches and content that teachers can use when schools must close for unforeseen disruptions, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Under a $17.6 million grant from the U.S Department of Education, the Department of Public Instruction’s Rethink Education initiative is helping districts across the state prepare for any short- or long-term learning disruptions by developing plans tailored to the specific needs of their school communities.

Read the full press release here.

Number 4

MEMO: Reporting School Closures

DPI is in the process of creating and publishing a weekly dashboard with school closure data for all PSUs. This dashboard will allow any person/media entity to visit the link and know the number of closings that have been reported per S654. This publicly-visible dashboard also allows for PSUs and the NCDPI to field media requests associated with school closure data in a more timely manner.

The dashboard will be posted starting October 1, 2021.

Number 3

Four DPI Employees Included in The Hunt Institute's ElevateNC: Higher Education Program

The ElevateNC: Higher Education program is designed to enhance leadership capacity and provide a space for development of statewide and community-specific strategies that increase postsecondary attainment. The cohort consists of prominent leaders from a variety of sectors, and includes state policymakers, K-12 superintendents and teachers, higher education administrators and faculty, members of the business community, advocacy organizations, and local government representatives.

Congratulations to Sneha Shah-Coltrane, Freebird McKinney, Tabari Wallace and Dr. Andrew Sioberg and thanks for representing DPI!

Read more here.

Number 2

Dr. Michael Maher, Director of the Office of Learning Recovery and Acceleration, on Tar Heel Teachers at Home

This week Tar Heel Teachers at Home interviewed Dr. Maher, Director of the Office of Learning Recovery and Acceleration (OLR), to learn more about OLR and how they serve the public schools of North Carolina.

Watch the full interview here.

Number 1

Free Professional Development Opportunities with NCCAT

The North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT) provides free professional development to NC educators in residential, online, virtual, school, and regional settings.

Check out the professional learning opportunities for October and learn more here.