1/20/2026
New from EdNC
EdNC’s commitment to public service
EducationNC’s 2025 Annual Report Highlights Rolfe Neill, the former publisher of The Charlotte Observer, often told journalists, including us, to not be afraid to be caught loving the community we serve. You can see EdNC’s commitment to community in our...
‘Implementation is where it’s at’: What’s next for the science of reading?
Science of reading laws are passing in record numbers. But policy isn’t the finish line, it’s the starting gate. National literacy experts say the next phase requires a shift from compliance to capacity, from checklists to change management, and from...
Fayetteville Tech’s revamped course helps transitioning service members take flight
Editor’s note: This article was first published by CityView and is republished here with permission. As the new year kicks off, many Fayetteville residents begin setting fresh goals, exploring new skills, and imagining new career paths. At Fayetteville Technical Community...
Perspective | Reframing ‘learning loss’ to reveal the true value of teachers
With public conversations increasingly placing the COVID era in our collective rearview mirror, it is worth pausing to examine what we have already begun to forget. While many are eager to move on, the pandemic fundamentally reshaped education — and...
The Editor’s Notes
Running a news outlet and also a nonprofit is a lot day to day, but add in a 1,000 year storm and a political transition like no other, and this stretch since Sept. 27, 2024 has been one tough 15-month spell, as my grandmother would have called it.
And yet there is much to be proud of as EdNC releases its annual report.
It highlights a 15% increase in readership at a time when news fatigue is real, in large part driven by our news strategy for covering what’s happening in DC and the impact on NC.
EdNC’s documentary “The Long Way Down” — which has more than 92,000 views and won “Best Picture” in Southern Shorts — established us a “stay helper” in the WNC recovery.
We published an unprecedented 27 policy-related research projects.
And the N.C. Press Association honored us with its public service award for online journalism. In addition to our coverage about Helene, which includes 145 articles to date, we used our content to write grants, helping to secure $4,044,740 for Avery, Mitchell, Watauga, and Yancey counties. This would not have happened with the inspiration from Elizabeth Brazas, and the leadership and expertise of Deanna Ballard, Jeremy Gibbs, and Kelley O’Brien. Thank you.
An external case study in 2025 found EdNC “built a team whose talent was matched only by their commitment” — and that could not be more true.
Thank you to our board, strategic council, and funders who support us to imagine and do our best work.
To our readers, thank you not just for reading, but for taking the information and sharing it, reaching out to legislators, writing perspectives, and doing all the things that are needed to expand educational opportunities for all students.
With gratitude, Mebane
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