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The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction unveiled a $25 million initiative today, funded by the Golden LEAF Foundation, aimed at improving school performance through innovative educational strategies. The announcement was made during the State Board of Education meeting, and the board will hold its vote on two contracts and a Request for Proposals (RFP) to support the work of the grant on Thursday.
The Golden LEAF Schools Initiative is a five-year comprehensive and innovative approach to educational improvement, targeting school culture, pedagogy, leadership, math instruction and career readiness.
“The Golden LEAF Schools Initiative is an important step toward achieving my vision: ensuring every child in North Carolina’s public schools achieves educational excellence,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Maurice “Mo” Green. “In order for North Carolina’s public schools to become the best in the country, we must rethink how we approach teaching and learning, and we must provide our schools with the appropriate support to do so.”
Green continued, “I also want to take this opportunity to recognize the great leadership of former Superintendent Catherine Truitt, who played a pivotal role in leading the development of this initiative in partnership with the Golden LEAF Foundation. Her vision, dedication and commitment to improving educational outcomes for North Carolina’s students were instrumental in making this initiative possible. We are proud to build upon the work that she started and look forward to continuing her legacy of innovation and excellence in education.”
“Golden LEAF Schools represents our commitment to long-term economic advancement through developing the workforce for the future. We are grateful for the visionary leadership of Superintendent Green and former Superintendent Truitt, whose dedication and leadership have been instrumental in bringing this initiative to life,” said Scott Hamilton, President of the Golden LEAF Foundation. “This initiative not only addresses immediate educational needs but also sets a precedent for future scalability and success. We look forward to seeing the positive impact this will have on students, educators and communities across North Carolina."
The Golden LEAF Schools Initiative’s foundation is based on a proven approach to school improvement called Marzano’s High Reliability Schools (HRS) model and will include intensive coaching and resources. Additionally, participating schools will receive math resources and coaching, career readiness resources and funding for travel, stipends and bonuses. At the core of this innovation model is the HRS framework which is designed to help schools create a safe environment for both students and staff; improve operational efficiency; provide high-quality instruction aligned with clear learning goals; use ongoing assessments to meet student’s individual needs and foster a culture of growth, collaboration and innovation.
The initiative will support 20 middle schools across two cohorts. All participating schools must be located in rural counties with persistent Tier 1 or Tier 2 economic status. Low-performing schools will join the Transformative Schools Cohort (TSC) and receive the full range of resources and interventions. Schools in the Personalized, Competency-Based Education Cohort (PCBE) will receive targeted support in transforming instruction within their schools. A hallmark of the initiative will include frequent networking across the cohorts to facilitate collaboration and share best practices in implementing the HRS framework.
“Programs like the Golden LEAF Foundation Schools Initiative are important in advancing the State Board of Education’s goal of providing every child in North Carolina with the opportunity to succeed academically,” said Eric Davis, chairman of the State Board of Education. “To truly transform our public schools, we must embrace innovative strategies that lead to better outcomes for all students.”
"The Golden LEAF Foundation Board is proud to support this transformative initiative. Golden LEAF Schools is perfectly aligned with our mission to increase economic opportunity by investing in the potential of our students in rural and economically-distressed communities,” said Ralph Strayhorn, Chair of the Golden LEAF Foundation Board of Directors.
The application for the Golden LEAF Schools Initiative will open on January 13, 2025. The deadline to apply is 5:00 PM on March 21, 2025. For more information and application links, please refer to the Request for Proposals (RFP).
About Golden LEAF
The Golden LEAF Foundation is a nonprofit organization established in 1999 to receive a portion of North Carolina’s funding from the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement with cigarette manufacturers. For more than 25 years, Golden LEAF has worked to increase economic opportunity in North Carolina’s rural and tobacco-dependent communities through leadership in grantmaking, collaboration, innovation and stewardship as an independent and perpetual foundation.
The Foundation has provided lasting impact to tobacco-dependent, economically distressed, and rural areas of the state by helping create 68,000 jobs, more than $780 million in new payrolls and more than 98,000 workers trained or retrained for higher wages.
For more information about Golden LEAF and their programs, please visit their website at GoldenLEAF.org.
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