Number 10

A Joyful Season - Student Performance Series at NCDPI

NCDPI employees have had the pleasure of hearing some wonderful student performances this month during the performance series A Joyful Season! 

Thank you and well done to the students of Oak Grove High School, Seaforth High School, Reid Ross Classical High School and Durham Charter who participated in the performance series. 

Check out their performances on the NCDPI Facebook page here.

Number 9

Quarterly PIO Call Follow-Up

LEA and Charter Communication Leaders, if you were unable to attend the Quarterly PIO Call on December 13 and did not receive the follow-up email, please reach out to communciations@dpi.nc.gov.

Number 8

Sandy Hook Promise, University Of Michigan School Of Public Health, And North Carolina Department Of Public Instruction Partner On Gun Violence Prevention Research

"Sandy Hook Promise (SHP) is embarking on a two-year research project with the University of Michigan School of Public Health to study anonymous reporting systems. Funded by a $700,000 grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, SHP and the University of Michigan School of Public Health will analyze previously resolved tips submitted by students throughout the state of North Carolina via the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System. Researchers will gather information about the tips – what leads students to submit one, what types of tips are submitted, how many tips are submitted, when are they submitted, etc. – and study what factors influence student tip submissions and content, and how training influences tip behavior and content.

Anonymous reporting systems, in which middle and high school students can safely alert adults to potential threats of violence at their schools, are proven to reduce overall school violence, and in some cases improve cognitive and behavioral outcomes for students. Students are more likely to report warning signs of potential violence if an anonymous reporting system is available to them."

Read the full press release here.

Number 7

NC Portrait of a Graduate Highlighted in Education Week Story: More States Are Creating a ‘Portrait of a Graduate.’ Here’s Why

"What does it mean to be a successful graduate?

Most states officially define it as someone who completes the correct number of courses, demonstrates a high GPA, is admitted to a college, or gets a head start in a career.

But at least 17 states have pushed the definition beyond those traditional expectations, outlining their goals in a guiding document that influences education policy—often called a portrait, or profile, of a graduate.

According to such portraits, students should leave high school with a set of agreed-upon skills, such as communication, teamwork, creativity, and civic engagement.

For over a decade, 17 states have adopted such portraits as they have worked to raise academic achievement, close learning gaps, and respond to employers’ needs. New York is on track to become the fourth state to adopt a portrait of a graduate in the past two years, joining Kentucky, North Carolina, and Wyoming. Far more districts have adopted their own portraits, more localized versions that guide schooling based on the community’s goals."

Read the full story here.

Number 6

New Surry-Yadkin Works Playbook Shines Spotlight on Innovative Work-Based Learning Model

"What does it look like when education, government, and workforce leaders join forces to develop a new generation of talent and drive their regional economy? The new Surry-Yadkin Works playbook, developed by the Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research in partnership with myFutureNC, is full of tips and best practices from a promising model that is changing the game for students, employers, and communities in northwestern North Carolina.

Made possible by support from the North Carolina Department of Commerce, the Office of Governor Roy Cooper, the North Carolina Business Committee for Education, and Jobs for the Future, the playbook outlines the conditions that primed Surry-Yadkin Works for success and the specific steps leaders took to launch and grow the program. This cross-sector partnership aligns four different school districts, the local community college, and local public and private sector employers across two counties via a streamlined approach to connecting students with pre-apprenticeship opportunities and wraparound support on a clear pathway to success after high school."

Read more here. Check out the playbook here.

Number 5

NC State University Surplus Warehouse Discounted School Supplies

Attention NC public school employees! Get discounted supplies for your school at the NC State University Surplus Warehouse.

Laptops, desks, chairs and more are available. Visit Monday-Friday, 7-11 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. 

Learn more and preview items here.

Number 4

North Carolina Youth Legislative Assembly Accepting Applications

The Youth Legislative Assembly (YLA) is a three-day program that allows students to draft, debate and vote on mock legislative bills while developing skills in research, interviewing, group facilitation and policy writing. The YLA will be held April 1-21, 2024.

Learn more and apply here by January 16, 2024.

Number 3

Superintendent's Student Advisory Council Applications Due Tomorrow, Friday Dec. 15

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.

Number 2

State Superintendent Celebrates Hour of Code with Middle Schoolers

"The media center of East Millbrook Magnet Middle School became a STEM laboratory Tuesday morning as students showed off their programming skills – and had a little fun – with State Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt.

Truitt and Wake County Public School System Superintendent Dr. Robert P. Taylor were there to celebrate the district’s month-long Hour of Code, which comes on the heels of national Computer Science Education Week.

Students participated in coding-based design challenges that ranged from the practical – programming a robot to move from one precise location to another – to purely for fun – coding a device to play tic-tac-toe.

Through it all, they gained hands-on experience with skills that are relevant to one of the top five fastest-growing job sectors in the state."

Read the full press release here.

Number 1

NCDPI Awarded $7.9 Million to Address Math Disparities in Rural Schools

"The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) has been awarded approximately $7.9 million from the U.S. Department of Education to improve math education in rural schools as part of the Education Innovation and Research (EIR) grant program.

NCDPI’s initiative – called Patterns™ for Reaching and Impacting Students in Math (PRISM) – will engage 300 upper elementary educators across the state in a unique, ongoing professional learning experience over the next five years.

Teachers will receive individualized instructional support, with a goal of improving math scores among historically marginalized groups in STEM, students in the lowest achievement quartile and those from low-income backgrounds.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt said teachers in rural areas are especially in need of this type of support, as data shows that rural schools regularly perform below the state average each year at each grade level on math end-of-grade tests."

Read the full press release here.