EdNC’s Alex Granados has updates on the following…
New report on lack of teacher diversity efforts in NC | Yesterday, the North Carolina General Assembly Joint Legislative Program Evaluation Oversight Committee heard a presentation on and discussed a report titled “Lack of a Dedicated State-Level Effort Challenges North Carolina’s Capacity to Increase Teacher Diversity.”
The report found:
– That North Carolina doesn’t have a “dedicated effort” to get or keep teachers of color
– That local districts, charter schools, and educator preparation programs have resorted to their own efforts in this regard and that the effectiveness of those efforts are not certain
– And that other states have options for getting and keeping teachers of color that North Carolina could emulate
The report includes a response from the state Department of Public Instruction (DPI) that disputes the report’s conclusions.
The report also includes two recommendations:
– That the General Assembly mandate a “Historically Black College or University or minority-serving institution” be added to the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program
– That the State Board of Education and others be required to come up with a plan to provide “an alternative to licensure exams for teacher candidates to demonstrate competency.”
The report acknowledges the Developing a Representative and Inclusive Vision for Education (DRIVE) Task Force and discusses it on page 11. It is also discussed again in DPI’s response to the report as well as in the General Assembly Program Evaluation Division’s response to DPI’s response.
See all the report materials for yourself here.
New homeschool data | The number of people filing Notices of Intent to establish or reopen home schools more than doubled between July 1 and August 24 of this year when compared to last year, according to an email from the Division of Non-Public Education in the state Department of Administration.
For that time period this year, there were 10,821 new Notices of Intent to establish a home school and 767 re-open requests. During that time period last year, there were 3,529 new Notices of Intent to establish a homeschool and 321 re-open requests.
Last school year, there were 94,000 home schools registered with the Division of Non-Public Education teaching a little more than 149,000 students. That equates to an average of 1.5 students per home school. The increased applications this year would amount to a little more than 10,000 additional students using that average, according to the Division’s email.
Plus, the North Carolina Education Corps is recruiting its inaugural class. Corps members will be paid a living wage by local school districts from the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund to serve as tutors, mentors, volunteer coordinators, counselor’s aides, and contact tracers.
Who are they looking for? Reliable, resourceful, compassionate citizens eager to dedicate 15+ hours/week between January and June 2021 to support students in North Carolina’s public schools. Corps members could be community college or college students, recent graduates, retirees, or active citizens in between. Applications are due on 11/22 and are reviewed on a rolling basis. Learn more and apply here.
Featured Read
Survey | EdNC readers: We want to hear from you.
EdNC is turning 6, and we are thinking about our work and our impact in NC. Please let us know what you think. Leave your name and email in the final question for a chance to receive one of 5 $10 Amazon gift cards.... Read the rest
-
'I still can't believe it:' Family, school mourning after Fayetteville art teacher dies of COVID-19
-
A worrying trend this fall: decline in FAFSA applications
-
How an Oregon Measure for Universal Preschool Could Be a National Model
-
Years After UNC-CH Was Sued Over Race-Related Admissions, That Trial Has Now Begun
-
How can student success initiatives scale?
