New from EdNC
Equity is the key to achieving statewide reading gains. Will implementation of the new reading law reflect that?
Melissa Hedt pauses before entering Susan Engstrom’s second-grade classroom. She’s thinking back over the last several years and the frustration she felt on behalf of teachers who didn’t have what they needed to move all students forward in reading growth.…
Lessons learned from the Pillowtex mill closure
Highlights In March, Pactiv Evergreen announced the imminent closure of the paper mill in Canton, North Carolina. The 2003 closure of Pillowtex Corp.…
Perspective | Is North Carolina letting ‘a good crisis go to waste?’
In that angst-ridden spring of 2020, when schools shut down across the land, it seemed that the COVID-19 crisis could serve as a pivot to a rejuvenating “new normal” in public education.…
The Editor’s Notes
On Saturday at 4:30, while it is premiering at MerleFest, we will post our full-length documentary, “My Name Is Merle.”
I attended MerleFest for the first time in 2019. EdNC was studying the economic impact of the music festival on Wilkes Community College and the region.
Backstage, I met Karen Norris, the daughter of Merle Watson and granddaughter of Doc Watson, with her family. I asked Jeff Cox, the president of Wilkes Community College, if a documentary had been produced about this festival that has influenced a whole genre of music.
It had not.
The amazing Robert Kinlaw was game, winning an early award for his rough cut just before the pandemic hit.
We believe in stories — and this is the best untold story in North Carolina.
We believe in leadership — and this is a story about the leadership of a horticulture teacher, Doc Watson and his family, the community college, the MerleFest team, and the community.
We believe in impact — not just the impact of this music festival on this community college and this community, but on music as we know and enjoy it across America today.
Our documentary has been written up by Garden & Gun, and if you want to see it on the big screen in the Triangle, it is included in the Longleaf Film Festival on Friday, May 12 at 5pm.
Take a look over the weekend, and let me know what you think.
Thank you to the whole MerleFest and Wilkes Community College team and most especially the family and musicians for trusting us with your story.
And then prepare your minds for next week.
The agendas aren’t posted yet, but we expect the N.C. State Board of Education to hold its planning meeting at UNCC on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
At the same time, the legislature will be moving legislation along as the May 4 crossover deadline approaches.
Here is your playlist for the weekend via the mountain philosopher himself, Superintendent Jeff McDaris.
I am so very thankful for all of you and your love of education and all of its ripple effects.
Need to know
In School, Engaged, On-track? The Effect of the Pandemic on Student Attendance, Course Grades, and Grade Retention in North Carolina
This study extends research evidence to additional student outcomes – absences, course grades, and grad retention – and to examine how pandemic effects are distributed across students. ... Read the rest
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LGBTQ+ data availability
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Residents ask school board where is the outrage after drag performance; school system will revise agreement with Forsyth Tech
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JED and AASA Form Exclusive Partnership to Develop Comprehensive Approach to Youth Mental Health and Suicide Prevention for Districts Nationwide
