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2/17/2025

New from EdNC

How one county worked together to create a culture of attainment

by Mebane Rash and Emily Thomas |

Attainment is on the rise in Burke County, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The percent of high school graduates, as well as those with associate degrees, bachelor’s degrees, and graduate degrees, are all going up, while the percent with some college and no degree is going down.…

The Editor’s Notes

In 2019, with bipartisan support in the General Assembly and the governor, North Carolina adopted one of the most ambitious attainment goals in the nation – to have 2 million North Carolinians aged 25-44 hold an industry-valued credential or postsecondary degree by 2030.

Cecilia Holden and the team at myFutureNC have been working with local leaders county by county since then to make sure more and more people across North Carolina have family-sustaining living wages.

On Thursday, government, education, business, and nonprofit leaders across North Carolina will convene for an update on the State of Educational Attainment in North Carolina, an event hosted by myFutureNC.

Register here to join virtually.

EdNC’s story today looks at attainment in Burke County, and how local leaders have worked together to build a culture of attainment over the last decade. Our thanks to the community for welcoming us last year as we conducted the research. And thanks to Nathan Dollar at Carolina Demography, who helped us think about the data behind the story. We learned a lot. At the bottom of the article you will see a cohort of solutions that emerged that could be replicated in all 100 counties.

Last year, the Aspen Institute lifted up the work of myFutureNC. “There is still significant potential for achieving cross-partisan successes in education policy,” says the report.

Need to know

Featured Read

Learn more about the work of myFutureNC

myFutureNC | February 17, 2025

This week, explore the website of myFutureNC to learn more about attainment in your county.... Read the rest

These are the sources EdNC checks every day: The New York Times, The 74, Education Week, The NC Tribune, The Insider, The News & Observer, The Charlotte Observer, WUNC, WFAE, Brookings, Education Commission of the States, and DPI’s News. A cross section of diverse sources are checked weekly and monthly. If you have an article you think needs to be included, email [email protected].

Mebane Rash
Mebane Rash is the CEO and editor-in-chief of EducationNC.

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