New from EdNC
NC early educators are seven times more likely to live in poverty than K-8 teachers, report finds
Davina Boldin-Woods, director of Excel Christian Academy, a child care center in Burlington, recalls one of her favorite employees: a teacher who came to her center with only a high school diploma.…
New Pittsboro charter will focus on the arts and culturally responsive education
Valencia Toomer is a Chatham County native who has worked in education for more than 20 years. In August 2021, she plans to open the School of the Arts for Boys Academy, also known as SABA.…
Perspective | Want parent engagement? Hire more BIPOC teachers, and support them.
“…we found that parent-teacher ethnic concordance enhances teacher ratings of relationship strength. As such, more teacher diversity, especially in schools with highly diverse student populations, may create more opportunities for parents and teachers to develop relationships that positively contribute to student achievement.”Longitudinal…
The Editor’s Notes
From EdNC’s Alex Granados and Michael Taffe:
A bill that would require districts to offer a summer program to combat learning loss from COVID-19 passed the full House yesterday and goes now to the Senate. You can read all about that bill here.
A bill that would change limits on how many spectators can watch student sports at “outdoor high school sporting venues,” passed a Senate committee yesterday. The governor had limited crowds as such events to 100 people due to COVID-19. The bill changes that to “40 percent of an outdoor facility’s capacity.” It will be heard in a Senate rules committee today at 10 a.m.
A separate bill filed by House Republicans would allow up to 50% capacity at both indoor and outdoor public school sports arenas.
Meanwhile, in a COVID-19 press conference yesterday, Gov. Roy Cooper loosened restrictions on public school sports, among other things. Indoor public school sports facilities can now operate at 30% capacity with a max of 250 people. And outdoor public school sports facilities can now operate at 30% capacity; the 100-person limit no longer applies.
General Assembly staff presented information on base appropriation levels from the N.C. Community College System’s 2020-21 academic year to a joint meeting of the House and Senate education appropriations committees yesterday. While community college enrollment typically increases during recessions, North Carolina has experienced a decrease in enrollment. But staff said this was consistent with national trends due to COVID-19. Staff also presented data showing that North Carolina’s community college in-state tuition rates are lower than all other Southern states, at $2,440 per year.
The State Board of Education voted yesterday to allow Southside-Ashpole Elementary School in Robeson County to operate under plan B (hybrid in-person and remote learning) starting on March 1. Southside-Ashpole is the lone school in the state’s Innovative School District. The Board also voted to allow students to return to class in-person at the Governor Morehead School for the Blind.
Need to know
Teaching Students A New Black History
An innovative education startup is offering culturally responsive learning to Black students across the country.... Read the rest
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One Year into Pandemic, Far Fewer Young Students are on Target to Learn How to Read, Tests Show
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St. Aug's picks widow of former leader as next president
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How the pandemic has altered school discipline — perhaps forever
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Lowder Resigns As Superintendent Of Cabarrus County Schools
