Number 10

North Carolina’s First-Ever High School Forestry Course to be Offered

"The North Carolina Forestry Association (NCFA) has teamed up with the North Carolina Future Farmers of America Association (NC FFA) to create North Carolina’s first-ever high school forestry course with an industry-aligned credential: AN53 Natural Resources II-Forestry. Both organizations have collaborated with ForestryWorks® to create the course, which will be implemented in high schools for the 2024-2025 school year.

In North Carolina, there is a steady need for skilled forestry professionals due to ongoing forest management needs, forest products manufacturing, and conservation efforts. However, recent statistics show us that the overall forest workforce in the U.S. is aging, with 59% of the total forestry and logging labor force between the ages of 35-64 and only 12% between the ages of 16-24 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023)."

Read the full story and learn more here. 

Number 9

Quarterly PIO Call May 8

The next Quarterly PIO Call is Wednesday, May 8 at 8:30 a.m. If you did not receive the meeting information, please reach out to communications@dpi.nc.gov. 

Number 8

Next NC Scholarship Works to Remove Financial Obstacles for College Students

"Though finances can be a hurdle for students seeking higher education, a new scholarship in North Carolina may completely remove that obstacle for many.

The Next NC Scholarship combines state funds and the Federal Pell Grant to offer free community college tuition for North Carolina students with an adjusted gross income (AGI) of $80,000 or less. The scholarship also covers at least half of UNC System tuition.

'The Next NC Scholarship really is a fantastic tool to give so many of our students the opportunity to attend college for free or heavily discounted,' said Benjamin Rickert, director of marketing and communications for Blue Ridge Community College (BRCC). 'As educators, partners in our state’s workforce development engine, our hope is that the Next NC Scholarship is going to encourage more of our students to pursue postsecondary education and gain jobs in those high demand and high wage workforce areas that our state needs.'"

Read the full story and learn more about the Next NC Scholarship here. 

Number 7

North Carolina Highlighted as a Best Practice for Using National Student Clearinghouse Data

Postsecondary outcomes data are critical to ensure students succeed after high school. Education stakeholders need access to high-quality data about students’ experiences after high school to prepare them for success.

Quality Information Partners (QIP) just published a new resource providing best practice guidance for state-level postsecondary outcomes data stakeholders that includes a case study highlighting North Carolina's work to get longitudinal data from the National Student Clearinghouse into the hands of districts and schools! 

Find the resource here. Find North Carolina's case study here. 

Number 6

NCVPS Offering In-Real-Time Synchronous Pilot (IRT)

In-Real-Time (IRT) is the synchronous instructional delivery program for the North Carolina Virtual Public School. We are expanding to 7th grade for the 24-25 academic year which will serve as a pilot year for this grade level. The IRT courses are whole-class middle school core courses with required synchronous sessions with the NCVPS teacher. Core instruction is provided in English Language Arts, Math, Social Studies and Science. IRT will continue to be offered for 8th grade in all four core content areas and new for SY24-25 is the addition of middle school and high school Math 1 sections. 

If you are interested in IRT for your school, please complete this interest form.

Number 5

Leading with Character Webinar May 8

Join NCDPI and Person Early College for Innovation and Leadership to learn how to use the 11 Principles of Effective Character Education to evaluate your school, district, and/or community climate. Participants will learn strategies to help enhance character development efforts in their schools or districts and hear from a student panel. 

Learn more and register here. The webinar will be held on Wednesday, May 8 at 3:30 p.m.

Number 4

2024 North Carolina Computer Science Professional Development

North Carolina’s Computer Science Teaching Professional Learning Program (NC-CS-PLP) aims to help students learn computer science concepts and gain skills to actively engage as informed participants in a technology-driven world. NCDPI and the North Carolina State Board of Education have added computer science to the North Carolina graduation requirements and created the first K-12 computer science standards for North Carolina.

Support from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction has given the Friday Institute the ability to expand its professional learning programs to offer Code.org’s professional learning series to North Carolina educators. You don’t have to be a software developer to teach computer science! This year-long Professional Learning Program is designed to support you throughout the academic year as you teach, engage, and empower your students to explore computer science.

Learn more here. 

Number 3

Growing Success for Multilingual Learners (MLs) 2024 Summer Conference

The NCDPI ML/Title III Team invites all educators to the 2024 Growing Success for MLs Conference. The 2024 summer conference will focus on empowering NC teachers and staff to create educational experiences that help multilingual students succeed academically.
The conference will be hosted in two in-person locations and one virtual setting:

• Buncombe County - June 25-27
• Pender County - July 23-25
• Virtual - July 29 - August 1

Learn more and register here.

Number 2

N.C. School Districts, DPI Push for More Career Planning for Students

"More than 150 K-12 education leaders from across North Carolina convened in Durham on April 23 for the Department of Public Instruction’s (DPI) first career planning success summit.

The event — which included representation from each of the state’s eight regions and 25 school districts — focused on the future development of student success career initiatives across the state. Attendees heard from education stakeholders, business leaders, and students themselves about career planning strategies that work.

'What you’re doing today is so important,' said state Superintendent Catherine Truitt. 'The earlier that we can get students engaged in career exploration, the more likely they are to find a pathway that interests them, that will engage their natural aptitudes, and lead to a family sustaining career.'"

Read the full story here. 

Number 1

Over 90 Percent of North Carolina Educators Indicate their School is a Good Place to Work and Learn, According to Statewide Working Conditions Survey Results

"More than 102,000 educators across North Carolina shared their opinions in this year’s Teacher Working Conditions Survey, and more than 90% of them indicated that they believe their school is a good place to work and learn.

'To ensure that we provide the right support, it is vital that North Carolina’s educators have ample opportunity to have their voices heard,' said State Superintendent Catherine Truitt. 'I’m grateful to the educators who took the time to complete this survey and share their experiences, and I am thrilled to hear that the majority of teachers feel so positively about their schools.'

The North Carolina Teacher Working Conditions Survey is the state’s biennial comprehensive survey of educator’s perceptions focusing on topics such as retention, school leadership, safety and wellbeing, facilities and resources, equity and professional development. First administered in 2002, this year the survey saw many changes based on feedback from school and district leaders across the state. Most notably, the number of questions asked was reduced from 199 to 99."

Read the full press release here. See 2024 NC Teacher Working Conditions Survey results here.