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Number 9
Opportunity for High School Students - Youth 250 NC: Your Voice. Your Future. Your NC!
The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) and NC Child invite rising 10-12 graders to downtown Raleigh for an inspiring day of civic engagement, leadership and hands‑on learning as part of the America 250 NC commemoration!
Youth 250 NC participants will explore the ideals of our democracy, connect with history, and discuss what it means to be an American today. The day includes interactive breakout sessions, inspirational speakers (including award‑winning professor and spoken‑word poet Donovan Livingston, Ph.D.!), opportunities to meet new friends and plenty of fun while exploring how they can lead their generation forward.
Group registration is now open. The event is free to attend and includes lunch and snacks. Learn more and register here.
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Number 8
Reminder: Statewide Survey on Support for Low-Performing Schools (Closes April 10)
District leaders and principals are encouraged to complete the EPIC statewide survey emailed on March 23 and linked here to provide feedback on how NCDPI can strengthen its support for low-performing schools and districts.
This brief survey (approximately 15 minutes) is designed to gather your perspectives on:
- The effectiveness of current state-provided supports
- District needs and priorities
- Barriers to successful school improvement
- What is needed to sustain progress
Your feedback is critical. Responses will directly inform how NCDPI refines its support model—including the Regional Support Services model—to better meet the needs of districts and schools across North Carolina.
We strongly encourage superintendents to complete the survey and share it with principals and other instructional leaders. Your voice will help shape how we support schools and improve outcomes for students statewide.
Take the survey here. The survey closes April 10.
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Number 7
NCVPS Offers Expanded Summer Learning Solutions for 2026
As districts and charter schools finalize summer programming, the North Carolina Virtual Public School (NCVPS) stands ready to help schools expand student opportunities. With a catalog of over 90 online courses, NCVPS provides a flexible solution for students aiming to stay on track for graduation or accelerate their progress before the next academic year.
Student Opportunities:
- Comprehensive Curriculum: Full-credit options are available in all core subjects, World Languages, CTE, Health and PE, the Arts and various electives.
- Flexible Advancement: Students can earn credits during the summer break, easing their course loads for the fall.
- Expert Instruction: All courses are taught by NC-licensed teachers who provide direct instruction, monitor student progress and deliver regular feedback.
District and Charter School Support:
- Operational Efficiency: Schools can provide a wide range of courses without the need for additional local staffing or facility management.
- Asynchronous Flexibility: Fully asynchronous coursework eliminates scheduling conflicts, making it an ideal fit for diverse student needs.
- Streamlined Coordination: NCVPS offers clear progress monitoring and simplified enrollment, allowing school staff to easily track student outcomes and support on-time graduation.
Learn more about NCVPS summer options and how to register here.
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Number 6
Office of Exceptional Children 2025-2026 Parent Survey - Special Education
NCDPI's Office of Exceptional Children, invites families of students receiving special education services to complete the 2025–26 Indicator 8 Parent Survey. This quick, two-minute anonymous survey — available in multiple languages — helps guide improvements for students and families.
Take the survey here. Responses will be accepted through June 30.
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Number 5
NCDPI Celebrate the Good Blog: "The AttendNC Research Guide - An AI-Assisted Tool for Translating Attendance Research into Practical Guidance"
The AttendNC Research Guide helps educators, families, and community partners turn attendance research into practical guidance. Instead of sorting through long studies or comparing reports on your own, you can use it to quickly understand what research suggests, compare strategies and think through next steps.
It is designed with North Carolina K-12 schools in mind. The guide uses North Carolina terminology and is intended to respond in ways that are relevant to local school, district and state contexts.
The guide can help users:
- compare attendance strategies
- identify practical considerations for implementation
- draft discussion points for a team
- align tiered interventions with local context
- turn research into action steps for school or district planning
The intent is to support school leaders, district staff, student support teams, family engagement teams and others who are trying to move from evidence to action.
Learn more about the AttendNC Research Guide here.
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Number 4
District Highlight: Onslow County Schools - WITN: "Onslow County Schools First District in State to Have 100% Military-Adopted Schools"
"Onslow County Schools is now the first district in the state and second in the country to have every school adopted by a military unit.
Jacksonville High School officially partnered with the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training Unit New River, with a celebration held at the school Wednesday morning.
The high school was the final school in the district to receive a military partner. Principal Brenda Hermann said the milestone is significant beyond Onslow County.
'We’re the last school in Onslow County to be adopted, but now Onslow County Schools is 100% military adopted, meaning every school has the same relationship with a different unit, which is huge because no other county in the state of North Carolina is 100% adopted,' Hermann said.
According to Onslow County Schools, military units began adopting schools in the district in the late 1990s."
Read the full story here.
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Number 3
District Highlight: Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) - WRAL: "Green Level High Students' RadiAid App Uses AI to Detect Osteosarcoma, Advancing to National Finals"
"It all started about a year ago when Kanthi started researching ideas for how to help with the treatment of osteosarcoma.
'I really needed guidance obviously because I didn't know what I was doing and I literally hopped in my car, I drove to Duke and I started knocking on doctors' doors. Dr. Eward was the one that answered the door and he's been obviously an integral part of our project,' Kanthi said.
From there, Kanthi started assembling the team from her classmates who were also interested in engineering and biotechnology.
'There was a recruiting process and we were handpicked by Hasini herself,' Talluri said. The junior is the youngest member of the RadiAid team.
The National Cancer Institute says that this kind of cancer is most common in kids and young adults. While scans that can detect osteosarcoma quickly are accessible in the United States, it can be harder--and more expensive--to get them in more rural countries which often leads to later diagnoses. The team hopes RadiAid can change that."
Read the full article here.
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Number 2
NCDPI Celebrate the Good Blog - Meet the 2026 Burroughs Wellcome Fund North Carolina Teacher of the Year Finalists!
Learn more about each of our nine incredible 2026 Teacher of the Year finalists in their own dedicated blog posts:
Don't forget to tune in to NCDPI's social media on Friday, April 24 to see who will be named the 2026 North Carolina Teacher of the Year!
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Number 1
More Than Half Of NC Public School Graduates Passed College-Level Courses While In High School
"Historic percentages of North Carolina public school students are enrolling and succeeding in college-level courses while still in high school, according to new data presented to the State Board of Education today.
Data from the Class of 2025 shows that 54% of graduates successfully completed at least one college-level course/exam through Advanced Placement (AP), the Career and College Promise (CCP) program, International Baccalaureate or other college-level courses during high school. This percentage has never been higher for North Carolina’s public schools.
The CCP program allows eligible NC public high school students to enroll in college classes at many North Carolina community colleges and four-year colleges and universities through their high school. Thirty-eight percent of all graduates enrolled in at least one college course in 2024-25 through the CCP program, marking an all-time high."
Read the full press release here.
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