Number 10

Deadline Tomorrow, Dec. 1 - Identify your School's NC Teacher Working Conditions Survey Coordinator

School leaders have been asked to confirm or update an employee who will serve as the school-level Teacher Working Conditions (TWC) Survey Coordinator by tomorrow, December 1. 

If you did not receive this communication or have any questions, please reach out to this email address. 

Number 9

Harnessing Research-Practice Partnerships in the North Carolina Summer Learning Programs

"There is meaning in establishing a partnership. For researchers and educators, this is significant. In traditional circles, the notion of conducting research is viewed as an academic exercise where a problem is identified, a methodology is proposed to address the problem, and evidence is presented considering specific outcomes. These siloed spaces existing between researchers and practitioners have presented challenges in education. As a state agency, our task was to examine how we could undo these patterns and transform how we work with university partnerships. Through these partnerships, our focus was to leverage actionable findings that were more meaningful for districts and constituencies in the educational field. Through this year-long journey, four UNC-system research institutions partnered with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction to evaluate the impact and implementation of summer learning programs across various regions in the state."

Read the full whitepaper here.

Number 8

NCDPI Seeking Best Practices for NC Teacher Working Conditions (TWC) Survey Data

NCDPI is looking for NC's best practices for using NC TWC data by school or district leadership as part of school improvement planning; district strategic planning; or data-driven conversations.

Please send any great examples of presentations, data walls/walks, reflection protocols, school improvement plans/district strategic plans, board materials, principal eval protocols, etc. to jeni.corn@dpi.nc.gov.

Number 7

Purple Star Award Submissions Now Open

The submission period for the Purple Star Award is now open and will close February 1. Help honor those schools that go above and beyond to demonstrate their commitment to military students and their families by encouraging them to apply.

Learn more, see previous awardees and find the application here.

Number 6

Online Licensure System Tutorials

NCDPI's Licensure section has created a series of instructional videos and guides to help users navigate the educator licensing system for North Carolina. The tutorials and guides cover a variety of topics.

Check out the tutorials and learn more here. 

Number 5

2024-25 UNCSA High School Visual Arts Program Accepting Applications

UNCSA’s Visual Arts Program is a residential program designed for high school juniors and seniors who have an artistic interest, dedication, and enthusiasm they wish to pursue in a structured course of study. Additional information can be found here.

Tuition is provided free of charge for in-state high school students, and the majority of their other billed educational costs (e.g., textbooks, health and wellness services, room and meal plan, activities, etc.) are covered by the North Carolina High School Artists Grant.

Rising high school juniors and seniors are invited to apply here.

Number 4

NCCAT Spring Registration Open

North Carolina educators have several opportunities from February through May to attend the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT), a recognized national leader in professional development programming for teachers.

Registration for these programs is open now. Applicants are encouraged to register as soon as possible to ensure a spot. Programs are available to North Carolina educators at the Cullowhee and Ocracoke campuses, online, and with NCCAT faculty visiting school districts.

For more information on residential professional development visit the calendar of programs.

Number 3

Convening Discusses Implications of AI in K-12 Education

"As artificial intelligence (AI) continues its rapid growth throughout industries and culture, educators and leaders in AI gathered at North Carolina State University on Nov. 15 for its AI in K-12 Convening to discuss the implementations and potentials of AI in classrooms.

'The things that we are able to do now because of AI is amazing,' said Amanda Moore, district innovation coach for Center Grove Community School. 'And if we can help our students and our teachers envision the things that are possible and use those ideas in classrooms now, just imagine what our classrooms could look like.'

AI relates to technology that can learn and perform intelligent tasks such as data analysis, machine learning, problem solving, and more. Generative AI involves content creation such as language, graphics, or audio.

AI adoption has grown quickly in schools and across various industries, especially since the launch of ChatGPT, a popular AI language chatbot, in late 2022. Schools have frequently grappled with finding the best course of action with AI, which presenters at the convening agreed is here to stay."

Read the full story here.

Number 2

Deadline Tomorrow, Dec. 1 - School Planning Survey

The new State Budget (SL 2023-134, Section 7.78) includes a requirement for a Statewide Survey and Report to study the status and cost of carbon monoxide alarms and radon gas testing in school buildings.

The survey can be found here.

Number 1

State Superintendent's Student Advisory Council Now Accepting Applications

High school juniors are invited to apply to serve as a Student Advisor on Superintendent Catherine Truitt's Student Advisory Council. If you are interested in state education issues, advocating on behalf of your fellow peers, and serving as an advisor to decision-makers in K-12 education, this opportunity is for you!

Advisory members meet monthly and serve a two-year term that concludes at the end of senior year of high school. Throughout the appointment, advisors hear from experts at the Department of Public Instruction, State Board of Education, the General Assembly, and the Governor's Office, among others, to learn about issues facing our state and what can be done to support students, teachers and our local school districts and charter schools.

At the conclusion of each year, advisors will present a proposal to address an evolving state education issue to the Superintendent among other state leaders.

The deadline to apply is December 15. Learn more and apply here.