New from EdNC

Senate leaders amend community college governance bill as legislators ask for feedback
Update: At the time this article was published, SB 692 was heading to the Senate Appropriations Committee. The article was revised to reflect that the bill has now passed the Senate, by a vote of 31-19, and will go before the house.…

STEM Road Trip: This teacher is bringing Mars to her Burke County classroom
Behind the Story We visited the classrooms of this year’s Burroughs Wellcome Fund (BWF) Career and Science award winners. All 2023 recipients are in the western North Carolina district and will receive $175,000 for their schools.…

Perspective | Improving early childhood assessment is a matter of equity
Across the country, dedicated early childhood teachers are building positive, supportive relationships that help each young learner develop on an individual pathway and explore their interests through joyful, play-based activities.…
The Editor’s Notes
The Public School Forum of North Carolina will honor the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation at the 2023 Jay Robinson Education Leadership Award Gala tonight. This annual event which began in 2000 celebrates public education in our state and recognizes leaders/organizations who have made outstanding contributions to public education.
This year’s honoree, the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, is a statewide, private, family foundation that has been a catalyst for positive change in North Carolina for more than 85 years.
Throughout the Foundation’s history, ZSR has supported some of North Carolina’s most important statewide initiatives in education, including:
-
Support for the ongoing Leandro litigation for equitable early childhood and K-12 public school funding
-
Numerous programs to bolster the recruitment and retention of teachers, particularly new teachers and teachers of color
-
Start-up grants to help launch the Public School Forum of North Carolina and EdNC, among numerous other organizations
Today, ZSR supports efforts that build the public will to support, strengthen, and fund North Carolina’s public systems of education, as well as efforts to advance educational equity.
The award is named in honor of the late Dr. Jay Robinson, one of our state’s most distinguished education leaders and the first president of the Public School Forum. He was my superintendent growing up in Charlotte.
To all of you have been part of the work of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation — the grantees, the team, the board, the family — thank you for improving the quality of life for all North Carolinians.
A few other notes:
Today is the crossover deadline at the N.C. General Assembly.
Here is the agenda for the N.C. State Board of Education meeting.
May the force be with you today and all the days.
Need to know
Schools ended universal free lunch. Now meal debt is soaring
According to NC DPI, as of March 1, 2023, the unpaid student meal debt is $3,384,152.... Read the rest