New from EdNC

As a new school year starts, here’s what EdNC readers want to know
Students across North Carolina are going back to school this week to start a third year of learning impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.…

‘We’re standing strong, but we need your support’: Haywood rallies together after severe storm damage
Update 11:45 a.m. August 23, 2021: According to recent news reports, five people have been found dead following the flood in Haywood County.…

Perspective | ‘Students must be at the center of everything that we do’
The start of any new school year is always cause for excitement, optimism and a celebration of all that is possible.…

Perspective | Ready, set, go? A guide to ensuring kindergarten readiness
Starting kindergarten is always an exciting and memorable time, but throw in a pandemic, social distancing, and mask requirements and things can get … well, less exciting.…
The Editor’s Notes
What’s the good news as we head back to school? Alexander Russo, the author of “The Grade” at Phi Delta Kappan, writes, “It’s easy to lose track of where things stand during this particularly hectic back-to-school season during which things seem to be changing quickly and media coverage focuses on conflict and danger. So here’s what I know: The vast majority of school districts are planning to reopen this year in person. The vast majority of parents say that they’re planning to send their kids back. And while an increasing number of districts are offering remote options and kids in parts of the country haven’t gone back yet, only a relative handful of districts have been experiencing outbreaks, shutting down school, or pushing back start dates. Tens of thousands more schools are open for in-person instruction than last year — and millions more kids are heading back to school in person. It’s a vast improvement over last year, and so far it’s going better than the coverage may lead you to believe.”
HEADS UP | House Bill 324 is calendared to be heard in the Senate Committee on Education/Higher Education on Tuesday, 8/24 at 11am.
Our colleagues at BEST NC are hiring a research and policy analyst. Here is more information. Please share!
Need to know
'It’s also very hard, when you’re in a system, to see it clearly."
An interview with Amanda Ripley, education journalist and author of "The Smartest Kids in the World" and "High Conflict." How to interrupt and resist high conflict in our schools and education community.... Read the rest
-
The Tense and Joyous Start to the 2021 School Year, in Photos
-
More Children Are Hospitalized With Covid-19, and Doctors Fear It Will Get Worse