The North Carolina Chamber hosted a conference on education Thursday to bring together leaders in education and in different businesses and industries. Panelists and speakers helped the two worlds learn from one another and bridge the gap in students’ skills and businesses’ needs.
June Atkinson, North Carolina state superintendent; James Williamson, president of the Carolina Community College System; and Peter Hans, senior adviser at UNC General Administration, talked with Susan Gates, a special advisor on education at SAS Institute, about their visions for N.C. education and how the business community fits into its future.
Sam Houston, from the North Carolina Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education Center moderated a discussion between Bobbie Cavnar, the 2016 Wellcome Fund N.C. Teacher of the Year; Melody Chalmers, the 2016 Wells Fargo N.C. Principal of the Year; and Freddie Williamson, the 2016 A. Craig Phillips N.C. Superintendent of the Year, on the successful relationships with businesses they’ve seen at the local level — in their classrooms, schools, and districts.
