A daily round-up of education news and views for the Carolinas.

North Carolina policymakers have celebrated 25 years of charter school law in the state. Senate Leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham commented: "All children, no matter the circumstances of their birth, deserve an education that's best for them. Real school choice should not be restricted only to the elite who can afford to choose. Ultimately, we must empower parents with the resources to decide for themselves which school they wish their children to attend."

 

Charlotte Observer

The Sanford Herald

Since assuming the superintendency in Columbia, South Carolina's Richland School District Two in 2017, Baron Davis has overseen several key initiatives to diversify the school system's teacher workforce and academic offerings, as well as to fortify and enhance its facilities. In an interview with K-12 Dive Mr Davis, the first African American to lead the district, discusses his strategy for recruiting and retaining male teachers of color. He outlines the Premier 100 initiative he helped implement, which sees the district look to HCBUs for recruitment purposes, and provides mentorship for new teachers. 

 

K-12 Dive

The Charlotte Observer analyzes the recently unveiled North Carolina budget plan. It notes that "Some of the $15.1bn allocated for K-12 education in 2021 - 2022 and $15.3bn for 2022 - 2023 would specifically go to implementing the Excellent Public Schools Act... The new funding, however, still falls short of what's needed to carry out the court-approved plan proposed by the State Board of Education."

 

Charlotte Observer

The Biden administration is set to issue regulations governing two programs in the American Rescue Plan, as well as the federal law governing the privacy of student records and a pilot for new student assessments, among other priorities. The list of upcoming rules also includes those that would affect magnet schools, charter school facilities, and preschool special education grants. One involves the American Rescue Plan’s $800m earmarked to support homeless students, a group that’s been hit particularly hard by the pandemic. The Education Department says its rules for the program will apply to three-quarters of the funding and will focus on the formula that state education agencies use to provide subgrants to local school districts. The other concerns the relief package’s $2.75bn in relief for private schools; the department says this must go to private schools enrolling “a significant percentage of low-income students” and to “schools most impacted by COVID-19.” The government also plans to issue rules for the testing pilot authorized by the Every Student Succeeds Act, the federal Charter Schools Program that’s designed to help states establish or enhance per-pupil funding for charter school facilities, and the federal Magnet Schools Program that will help “magnet schools that incorporate evidence-based designs and strategies that have been shown to both increase diversity and improve outcomes for students.”

 

Education Week

Additional federal stimulus funding and pandemic instructional experiences are leading school administrators to revamp teacher professional development opportunities for this summer and early next school year so efforts lead to high-impact student outcomes. Some of the ambitious plans for teacher PD will center on instructional strategies, multi-tiered systems of support, ed tech, social-emotional learning, and equity and inclusion. Michael Lubelfeld, superintendent of the North Shore School District 112 in Highland Park, Illinois, said his school district has reenergized its focus on what works best in education and has taken guidance from John Hattie’s research on influences for student achievement. Some of the district’s PD will include explicit teaching strategies, phonics instruction and teacher efficacy. The emphasis on thoughtful and effective professional development after a year of turmoil in education is also coming from state education agencies and the U.S. Department of Education, which recommends school district staff training on identifying students experiencing homelessness or students with disabilities and educator training on improving instructional design and effective use of technology to support student learning.

 

K-12 Dive

Alamance-Burlington Schools' summer school program has begun. Wayne Beam, member of the Alamance-Burlington Board of Education noted: “We were able to be fully staffed. It was a challenge at first to get people to teach because of the year we've had and stress our teachers were under."

 

The Times News

Pitt County Schools assistant superintendent of educational program Steve Lassiter has said that controversial critical race theory is not included in the district's curriculum. Meanwhile Ken Coleman, a member of the Grand Strand Patriots, a local Horry County group, said he does not want the theory taught at Horry County Schools, commenting: "I'm just hoping our session here tonight will convince the board that is not the way to go in this county — or in the state.” HCS Spokesperson Lisa Bourcier confirmed that schools in the district utilize the South Carolina Curriculum Standards for Social Studies, and do not teach Critical Race Theory.

 

The Post and Courier

The Daily Reflector

The four remaining board members of Florence School District Four have accused South Carolina Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman of "imperialistic colonizing behavior" after the district was ordered to consolidate with the Florence One Schools district. The sale of the former location of Timmonsville High School to Florence County for development into a recreational facility was also criticized.

 

SCNow

Guilford County Schools leaders expect to offer the equivalent of at least $15 per hour to all district employees, starting in the next school year with Superintendent Sharon Contreras announcing raises for school nutrition staff and afterschool care workers, alongside bonuses for other lower-paid staff. Michael Pelham, a cook at Dudley High School commented: "The commissioners really thought about us and thought about my family and I was very grateful."

 

Greensboro News & Record

The Lexington-Richland 5 school board has voted unanimously to appoint Akil Ross to succeed Christina Melton after her sudden resignation as the district's superintendent last week. Ross, an education consultant and former Lexington-Richland 5 administrator, was named national principal of the year during his time at Chapin High School.

 

The Post and Courier

The State