NC Teacher Working Conditions Survey (NCTWC)
The NC Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) needs your feedback and input to improve the validity and reliability of the NC Teacher Working Conditions Survey (NCTWC). Your participation will help us understand the needs of teachers across the state, improve work environments, and shape policies that directly impact educators and education stakeholders like you.
To learn more about our survey revision process, please:
- See our 1-pager available here and additional information included below.
- Join NCDPI staff at our "Overhauling the NCTWC" Session at the AIM Conference on Tuesday, October 10 from 10:10 AM - 11:30 AM.
To complete the NCTWC feedback form, please click on this link. Your responses will be anonymous and only used for NCTWC survey improvement.
If you have any questions or need assistance, please feel free to contact Jeni Corn, Director of Research and Evaluation at the NC Department of Public Instruction at jeni.corn@dpi.nc.gov
Thank you for your dedication to education and your commitment to improving the teaching and learning experiences of our public school educators and students in North Carolina. Your insights will contribute to creating a more supportive and conducive working environment for all educators.
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NCDPI needs your feedback and input in our efforts to improve the validity and reliability of the NC Teacher Working Conditions Survey while reducing the number of items and data collection burden on our educators, schools, and districts.
We have divided the survey into 12 domains, each focusing on different aspects of the teaching experience. You will have the opportunity to provide feedback on one domain at a time. Your responses will be anonymous. Your participation is instrumental in helping us understand the needs of teachers across the state, improve work environments, and shape policies that directly impact educators like you.
Purpose of the NC Teacher Working Conditions Survey:
The NC Teacher Working Conditions Survey is a critical tool for assessing the various aspects of the teaching profession, including classroom environment, school leadership, professional development, and more. Its primary purpose is to gain a comprehensive understanding of the conditions under which teachers work, allowing us to identify areas of strength and areas that may require improvement. The insights gathered from this survey enable us to tailor policies and initiatives that better support teachers, enhance their work experiences and ultimately contribute to improved educational outcomes for our students.
We value your perspective as a member of the NC education community, and your feedback on the individual items within the survey is crucial to our continuous improvement efforts. We have divided the survey into 12 sections, each focusing on different aspects of the teaching experience. You have the opportunity to provide feedback on one section at a time. Each section includes all related items for your consideration.
Access the Survey: To ensure a clear and organized process, we have created this Feedback Form.
In this form, you can review each item within a section and choose from the following options for each item:
- Keep: If you believe the item accurately represents your experience and is important for assessing working conditions.
- Edit: If you think the item needs modifications or adjustments to better reflect your reality.
- Delete: If you believe the item is irrelevant or should be removed from the survey.
Additionally, we encourage you to provide a brief explanation for your choices. Your reasoning will provide us with deeper insights into your perspective and guide any necessary changes.
Please note that to provide feedback on multiple sections, you will need to complete the survey more than once.
Improving Validity, Reliability, and Fairness:
With efforts to enhance the NC Teacher Working Conditions Survey, we are dedicated to refining the survey's validity and reliability while maintaining its established structure. We strive to gather insights that accurately represent the diverse experiences of educators statewide, ultimately leading to well-informed policy decisions that positively impact teacher work environments. Your participation and feedback are integral to this continuous improvement process.
Jeni Corn, Ph.D.
Director
Superintendents & Charter School Leaders,
As the 2023-2024 school year kicks into full swing, many public school units (PSUs) are experiencing new and continued vacancies in critical areas, such as exceptional children. We understand the complexities of coordinating services, supporting existing instructional staff, and attending to the concerns of families are significant. To help support the problem-solving process, we wanted to ensure you had the following available:
Exceptional Children Teacher Vacancies: Guidance Document
This document is a compilation of resources and technical assistance on the following topics:
- Recruitment and Retention
- Short-Term Solutions While Recruiting
- Compensatory Education Services
- Contracting Services
- Onboarding New EC Staff
- Virtual Instruction
- Licensure
If you have questions that are not addressed in this guidance, please contact your designated EC Regional Coordinator or Dr. Carol Ann Hudgens, Senior Director for the Office of Exceptional Children (carolann.hudgens@dpi.nc.gov), for further assistance. We are happy to be thought partners with you as you navigate circumstances unique to your PSU. Best wishes for a safe and productive year!
School Business
School Business – September 1, 2023
The FBS website continues to be updated with information related to School Business and our ongoing operations. Please check the FBS homepage regularly for updates.
CCIP/Allotment System Software Glitch
Please do not pay attention to allotment/budget balances at this time in CCIP. We believe we have a software glitch that needs to be corrected. Federal planning allotments have not been reduced or adjusted from what was originally provided. We will update everyone once that situation has been resolved. Thank you for your patience.
NCDPI Uniform Chart of Accounts – UPDATE – All PSUs
The following are two modifications to the OBJECT Codes in the FY 23-24 Chart of Accounts.
This is to ensure that NCDPI can meet its reporting obligations related to certain expenditure types. We understand that this may require the PSUs to recode and move expenditures and/or contracts and apologize, as this was an unknown requirement until a couple weeks ago.
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OBJECT CODE Revisions (effective 7/1/2023)
313 Advertising Cost Contracted Instructional Substitutes
Include the expenditures for contracting costs associated with providing Instructional (Classroom) Substitutes for the schools.
314 Printing and Binding Fees Marketing Costs
Include expenditures related to marketing costs for the district/schools. This would include, but is not limited to, printing, binding, advertising, posters, and other publications. Pre-printed materials used for operations and within the schools are NOT included here but in supplies and materials (400 series).
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We will be adding the following codes to the COA wherever we have the 162 object code:
X-5110-XXX-313
X-5210-XXX-313
Since the 313 code is for a contract, we will only split further if the contract and invoice is split, and the district will be coding expenditures with fidelity at that more granular level. For now, these codes should serve our data requirement needs at this time.
Should a district need any new combinations added, that would result in a material expenditure change or need, please let Roxane Bernard (roxane.bernard@dpi.nc.gov) know so we can get the appropriate codes added as may be required. Thank you for your understanding as we look to meet our reporting obligations without expanding the digits of the current coding structure beyond the fund code, at this time.
PSUs Required to Liquidate and Closeout Federal Grants in 90 Days
2 CFR §200.344 increased the federal grant closeout timeline from 90 days to 120 days. Based on our interpretation, NC DPI increased the liquidation period for PSU’s to the 120 days. However, the revision increased the number of days for grantees, NC DPI, to submit all final reports and liquidate all financial obligations from 90 days to 120 days.
The requirement for subrecipients to submit their final reports to grantees within 90 calendar days after the subrecipients’ periods of performance is still 90 days and is being re-established by NC DPI. NC DPI will have the remaining 30 days of the 120-day period to conduct state-level closeout and meet compliance requirements.
This change is necessary to ensure NC DPI can meet the requirements of 2 CFR §200.344 to close out grants, which includes all cash drawdowns and expenditure reporting requirements of the Federal awarding agencies, within 120 days of the period of performance.
This means for all grants, whose period of performance is ending September 30, 2023 (included ESSER II programs) that the LEAs have until December 31, 2023 to liquidate all qualified encumbrances incurred as of September 30, 2023.
This is not applicable to charter schools unless the charter school uses an encumbrance reporting system.
Allotments Update - Charter Schools Only
An additional 30% Independent Public Schools float was posted to the cash management system on August 31, 2023. This additional 30% will bring the total authority to draw cash for the Independent Public School Units to 50% of their planned funding.
If you have any questions about the allotment allocations, please contact the Allotments Section Chief, Kristie Weber, at kristie.weber@dpi.nc.gov.
Confirmation of Funds for Annual Financial Statement Audits by CPA firms
DPI is providing the appropriate reports to your independent auditors via the internet. These reports for FY23 are now posted in a public application at: http://apps.schools.nc.gov/auditorconfirmationreports (Annual Reports).
Please direct your independent auditor to the site provided.
Please contact Roxane Bernard at roxane.bernard@dpi.nc.gov with any questions.
FBS Webinar FY23-24 – All PSUs
Another Topical webinar will be on Tuesday, September 12th at 9am for all PSUs related to:
- Updated Guidance on Local Funds Process
- ESSER II Close Out Process
The Webex Invite will be sent to Finance Officers and Finance Directors to get the PSUs registered for that webinar next week. Questions may be directed to Evelyn Gallegos (evelyn.gallegos@dpi.nc.gov).
*View prior newsletters online: Newsletters and Guidance | NC DPI
2023 Burroughs Wellcome Fund North Carolina Teacher of the Year Nominations Due 9/21/23
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In accordance with national guidelines, North Carolina chooses a candidate who is "dedicated and highly skilled, a candidate proven capable of inspiring students of all backgrounds and abilities to learn." Because the State Teacher of the Year will be asked to travel, speak on behalf of education, and demonstrate master teaching skills, the candidate must be poised, articulate, and energetic in order to meet the demanding responsibilities.
The NC Teacher of the Year nomination window is quickly ending. Candidate portfolios are due by September 20, 2023. Teachers of the Year submit the Teacher of the Year Portfolio to their Regional Education Facilitator. NOTE: Submissions must be sent electronically as one complete PDF document, including a copy of their current license. To submit your candidate please click here. Upon submission, further information will be shared with the teacher and charter school coordinator. Candidate portfolios are due by September 20, 2023. If you have any questions or need further information please contact Elizabeth Santamour, DPI’s Educator Recognition Coordinator at elizabeth.santamour@dpi.nc.gov.
To be eligible for selection as a Teacher of the Year, a person must hold a Standard Professional 2 (SP2) license, be employed full time and spend at least 70% of his or her time in direct instruction of North Carolina public school students. (North Carolina State Board of Education Policy, March 2008)
Click here for more information- https://www.dpi.nc.gov/educators/educator-recognition-programs/burroughs-wellcome-fund-north-carolina-teacher-year https://twitter.com/search?q=%23nctoypoy
Remote Instruction Plans
PSUs who plan to exercise remote instruction due to emergency closures must annually submit a Remote Instruction Plan to NC DPI. §S.L. 2022-74/HB 103 authorized the use of Remote Instruction for emergency closures from §S. L. 115C-84.3 (b). Please take one of the following actions by October 15, 2023 to ensure your 2023-2024 Remote Instruction Plan is submitted and/or updated if needed:
- Utilize, with no revisions, the 2022-2023 RI Plan for the 2023-2024 School Year for Emergency Closures.
- Revise the 2022-2023 RI Plan for the 2023-2024 School Year for Emergency Closures.
- Create a new RI Plan for the 2023-2024 School Year for Emergency Closures.
- Not complete an RI Plan for the 2023-2024 School Year for Emergency Closures.
Visit bit.ly/NCDPIRIPlans for additional details and to submit a plan.
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Digital Leaders Exchange
Home Base Meetups meets Regional Technology Directors Meetings in the all new NC Digital Leaders Exchange! We will be coming to a location near you soon! Each event will run from the East to the West while also aligning each “exchange” with a part of the Digital Learning Plan. In September, we will be highlighting Cybersecurity and Data Privacy.
We will meet from 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM and lunch will be catered. Register for a date & location that best fits your schedule.
Register at bit.ly/NCDLESept23.
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CFSS Executive Director Tours
During the fall semester, Center for Safer Schools Executive Director Karen W. Fairley plans to continue her tours of North Carolina school districts and charter schools. Fairley would like to see anything you want to showcase regarding school safety, and she would like to take time to talk with a small group of students. CFSS staff will contact districts and charters that already requested a tour. To schedule, send an email to cfss@dpi.nc.gov.
RISE 2023
More than 250 educators and law enforcement helped the Center for Safer Schools kick off the 2023 RISE Back to School Safety Summit in Gastonia. State and local officials – including State Superintendent Catherine Truitt, Deputy Superintendent Dr. Jerry Oates and CFSS Executive Director Karen W. Fairley – delivered remarks to begin the summit on Monday, July 31.
Truitt said RISE 2023 specifically addressed challenges that North Carolina schools face, including hoaxes, swatting, school climate, bullying prevention and suicide prevention.
"There is an ever-increasing need to offer informational and educational support to school leaders, security professionals, and law enforcement," she said.
RISE – the CFSS’ signature event – focuses on the Resiliency, Information, Support and Empowerment needed when supporting children and adolescents in schools and communities. The training offers a range of sessions covering the issues of bullying, suicide, critical incidents and other vital information about trauma and victimization among children and adolescents, and how these various dynamics impact school climate and school safety.
Trainings held during the three-day summit included child abuse prevention, gang awareness, human trafficking, School Risk Management Plans and suicide prevention. RISE 2023 was the sixth monthly event held in recognition of the CFSS’ 10th anniversary.
September Trainings
The Center for Safer Schools has scheduled the following September sessions at the Training Center in Moore County:
- Transportation Security Administration School Bus Awareness Training (Thursday, Sept. 7): The outreach program is designed to give school administrators, bus transportation personnel and district level staff the ability to establish standards for security programs and give them the ability assess security vulnerabilities. The training objectives are to provide school personnel the resources to mitigate vulnerabilities in their school bus security programs, including recognizing and implementing best practices scenarios for active shooter events involving both school buses and school facilities. Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/transportation-security-administration-school-bus-awareness-training-tickets-698505337267?aff=oddtdtcreator
If you have questions about a training session, email CFSS Director of Training Quintin Trent (Quintin.Trent@dpi.nc.gov).
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State Superintendent Catherine Truitt speaks during the opening ceremony of the 2023 RISE Back to School Safety Summit in Gastonia on Monday, July 31. (DPI photo) |
The NCCAT 2024 NC Beginning Teacher of the year Nomination Form is now open for submission!
The NCCAT Beginning Teacher of the Year Award celebrates the creativity and enthusiasm of beginning teachers, their mentors, school teams, and communities. The award recognizes the unique challenges and achievements that new teachers experience during their first year in the classroom. Selected from over 7,000 new teachers, the annual award recipient is chosen through a special competitive selection process, culminating in naming 27 regional and charter finalists, one winner, and one runner-up.
Data shows that nearly half of North Carolina’s new teachers leave the profession in their first five years of teaching. In recognizing excellence among new teachers and providing programs that support them from the start of their careers, NCCAT not only honors their achievements but also strengthens their connection to the profession, one another, and the resources they need to succeed. Supporting and encouraging new teachers is paramount to developing the caring, strong professionals we all want instructing our North Carolina Students.
For 35 years, NCCAT has provided support for teaching excellence and is proud to partner with North Carolina school districts and charter schools to identify and recognize the best of the beginning teacher corps from across the state.
Please complete this form by Monday, October 2nd to nominate a Beginning Teacher from your school. For information on criteria for consideration, prizes, and timeline, please visit www.nccat.org/btoy
Career and Technical Education (CTE) Trainings
Are you new to offering Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs or do you want to know more about CTE? Check out our Charter Schools: Getting Started with CTE guide (https://bit.ly/CTEcharter) to connect with CTE resources, including course standards, required CTE proofs of learning, credentials, and reporting requirements.
The CTE Regional Services team is implementing a charter school user group during the 2023-2024 school year to provide training and support for charter schools who offer CTE programs or have student enrollments in CTE courses through NCVPS. Our charter school user group will meet quarterly to provide CTE updates, information about CTE programs, and training for administering and reporting student results for CTE proofs of learning, credentials, and CTE concentrator status for WorkKeys participation. We invite you to mark your calendar for the following dates and plan to join us online to learn more about CTE.
*This session will include CTE State Assessment training required for schools administering fall administrations of CTE State Assessments
*This session will include a CTE State Assessment training refresher and full training required for schools administering spring administrations of CTE State Assessments who did not attend fall training
Questions may be directed to Misty Wolfe (misty.wolfe@dpi.nc.gov) or your CTE Regional Coordinator.
New Charter Amendment Process
As of August 1, 2023, OCS has implemented an updated charter application amendment request process via epicenter. Please refer to the "Epicenter Steps for Charter Application Amendment Request 0723" document linked here for instructions. Any material change to the charter application must be approved pursuant to State Board of Education policy CHTR-014, North Carolina Administrative Code 16 NCAC 06g.0510 and 16 NCAC 06g.0511. Questions? Contact Nicky Niewinski, OCS Consultant, at nicole.niewinski@dpi.nc.gov
New ML[ELL] Data Compliance Library
This repository provides resources for supporting administrators, data managers, testing coordinators, and teachers to access throughout the academic school year. The range of resources allows users to determine their specific needs and find the appropriate materials.
If you have any questions, please email susan.walz@dpi.nc.gov.
2023-2024 Charter Schools Diabetes and Epinephrine Memo
Important Resources for Charter Schools: (Please Read)
Please click on each link.
2023-2024 Charter Diabetes Memo
2023-2024 Charter Epinephrine Memo
New Homeless Liaison Training
The North Carolina Homeless Education Program (NCHEP) will hosting their New Homeless Liaison Training for Charter Schools on Thursday, September 14, 2023. This training will be held in-person on the UNCG campus in the Elliott University Center. Homeless liaisons with two-years or less experience should attend this required training.
Prerequisites for Participation:
Registration for the training is required. REGISTER HERE
If you have questions about registration or this training, please contact the Charter School Program Specialist, Savannah Gay.
School Risk Management Plan Training
The Center for Safer Schools will host School Risk Management Plan training this summer and fall at the Training Center in Moore County. The remaining sessions are scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 11.
North Carolina General Statute 115C-105.54 requires that each local school administrative unit shall provide the Division of Emergency Management at the Department of Public Safety (i) schematic diagrams, including digital schematic diagrams, and (ii) emergency response information requested by the Division for the School Risk Management Plan (SRMP).
After completing SRMP training, attendees will be able to:
- Input site-based school data to develop a comprehensive schematic diagram and plans into the SRMP portal.
- Both identify and discuss vulnerabilities and training gaps in their individual plans.
- At least once annually initiate a full schoolwide tabletop exercise on the procedures documented in the SRMP portal.
Attendees are encouraged to bring a laptop, as the sessions will review their individual school plans in the SRMP portal. They will receive technical guidance to ensure their plans meet the necessary state requirements.
All sessions will be held from 10 a.m. to noon at 3600 Samarcand Road in Jackson Springs. Register at the following links: Oct. 11.
School Risk Management Plan training also will be held at the July 31-Aug. 2 RISE Back to School Safety Summit in Gaston County. Visit the official RISE webpage for information and registration links.
If you have questions about School Risk Management Plan training, send an email to cfss@dpi.nc.gov.
Please review the attached Exceptional Children communication updates and Guidance.
Important MEMOs:
Office of Charter Schools (OCS) Updates
OCS presented some updates at the NCAPCS Charter Conference. In case you missed it, or want the presentation, please find it linked HERE.
Office of Charter Schools' 2023-2024 Open Office Hours
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Date
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Time
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Topic
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Link
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September 13, 2023
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11:00 AM
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Read to Achieve Tonya Parrish
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https://ncgov.webex.com/ncgov/j.php?MTID=m797428923a415b22158519bcab1284de
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October 12, 2023
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10:00 AM
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School Safety Dr. Karen Fairley
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https://ncgov.webex.com/ncgov/j.php?MTID=mb99d630a2fb94629201c837ab858a2bb
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November 28, 2023
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10:00 AM
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North Carolina Homeless Education Program Savannah Gay
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https://ncgov.webex.com/ncgov/j.php?MTID=mb2c987d2a54af5279aa891b5c7ce3273
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December (TBD)
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10:00 AM
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Home Base, NCEES, Mental Health docs Matthew Mayo, John Mair, Cami Narron
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https://ncgov.webex.com/meet/natasha.norins
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February 14, 2024
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10:00 AM
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School Leaders Inspire Us All Dr. Andrew Smith, Dr. Erika Shoulders- Royster, Tabari Wallas, ED.S.
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https://ncgov.webex.com/ncgov/j.php?MTID=mdb3a6a7f2dee947d09e1f406965ee97b
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March 20, 2024
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10:00 AM
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SEL (Social Emotional Learning) Anne Nixon and Dr. Natasha Norins
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https://ncgov.webex.com/ncgov/j.php?MTID=m9411d8ddf32bf2e7aea39b760d63594f
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April 17, 2024
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10:00 AM
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MTSS - Addressing Misconceptions
Ashley Springs + Rhonda Harrell (IABS)
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https://ncgov.webex.com/ncgov/j.php?MTID=m8c2cab43d4e6628256bf5f97a73fcbcd
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 The North Carolina Advancing Charter Collaboration and Excellence for Student Success (NC ACCESS) Program and Teach like a Champion have partnered to provide a series of workshops for NC Charter Schools to help improve the academic achievement of students and support the leadership and professional development school leaders and teachers. One of the trainings that is being offered will be held in-person on January 18 -19, 2024, 8:00am – 4:40pm at the McKimmon Conference and Training Center at NC State University in Raleigh, NC.
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Reading Reconsidered
Train-the-Trainer
In-Person Workshop in Raleigh, NC
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Join the TLAC Team for this in-person workshop on January 18-19, 2024, 8:00am - 4:30pm EST in Raleigh.
This practice-intensive workshop provides instructional leaders with materials and guidance to deliver high quality training on literacy instruction and provides teachers with tools to implement research-based literacy instructional practices with their students, both with the goal of driving literacy results in schools.
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Ready to Open/Planning Year Session #1
The Office of Charter Schools will host session one of five planning year sessions required for all schools (approved boards and school leaders) in the Ready to Open process on September 27th, 2023, on-site at the NC Department of Public Instruction from 8:30AM - 4:00PM. Please Register Here for Session 1: Charter School Board Governance. Please reach out to Dr. Natasha Norins with questions regarding Ready To Open/Planning Year.
HR Webinar Information - Licensure requirements, resources, and more for Charter School leaders
Once a month, Dr. Tom Tomberlin and his team provide State Board of Education and legislative updates to the human resources contacts in Public School Units (PSUs) across the state.
All sessions are 10:30-11:30AM
September 8
October 6
November 3
December 8
Other Resources from DPI and beyond
Charter School Job Postings
If you have current teaching/leadership positions open and wish to share them in this newsletter, reach out to Joseph.Letterio@dpi.nc.gov and provide a link to the posting/s.
Whom Should I Contact at the Office of Charter Schools?
OCS Main Number: (984) 236-2700 / Email: ocs@dpi.nc.gov
Please forward
School leaders, we encourage you to forward this newsletter on to your staff so they can subscribe to DPI bulletins directly through this link. They will enter their email and then it will bring them to another page where they can select “Charter School Comms Contacts” and any other public listserv to sign up for.
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