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‘We made a little world’: EdNC book club event builds community to support our public schools

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Leah Carper (second from left) with Guilford County School's educators and staff at Scuppernong Books in Greensboro. Alli Lindenberg/EducationNC

On an evening in early September, when the back-to-school buzz was still humming in the air, EdNC hosted a community event at Scuppernong Books in Greensboro. Led by 2022 Burroughs Wellcome Fund North Carolina Teacher of the Year Leah Carper, the event was a conversation about EdNC’s new book, “North Carolina’s Choice: Why our public schools matter.”

“There’s nothing better than when you meet people across the community who are passionate about the same thing you’re passionate about. Having opportunities like that is so beautiful,” said Carper.

Carper was an English teacher at Northern Guilford High School before being named the 2022 Burroughs Wellcome Fund North Carolina Teacher of the Year. Last year, she served as an advisor to the State Board of Education and is currently serving as the director of stakeholder engagement for Guilford County Schools.

The passion Carper has for public education is personal. She has shared the story of what public education means to her widely and empowers others to share their ‘why’ for loving public education often. You can hear a bit of her story by listening to the audiogram below.

“The purpose of the book is to encourage everyone from people in community to policymakers in Raleigh to talk out loud about how policy changes to public education bear on the role public schools play in economic development statewide, economic impact locally, as anchor institutions in community, in building the diverse workforce the future requires, the provision of early childhood education, postsecondary access and opportunity, and the perception of this state we all call home,” said Mebane Rash, EdNC’s CEO and editor-in-chief.

Attendees of EdNC’s book club event at Scuppernong Books in Greensboro discuss the importance of public education. Alli Lindenberg/EducationNC

At the event, Carper used EdNC’s discussion guide to facilitate conversation about the topics covered in the book. Some questions discussed include:

  • In 54 of 100 counties, the school district is the largest employer. This about all of the different types of workers districts employ. What kind of impact do districts have on attracting other businesses to the county?
  • What is the purchasing power and investment power of the district? What about the impact on small businesses in the county?
  • What do you think about seeing schools as anchor institutions? When you look back at your own experience in school, did you have any anchor moments? If so, what were those moments? How did they shape you?
  • How can we better support our public schools?

Attendees had meaningful conversation in small groups, and some shared their experiences on social media.

If you are interested in having a book club event, email me at alindenberg@ednc.org.

Here is a PDF of the book that is free. A printed copy can be ordered here. The discussion guide can be found at this link.

“We made a little world for a few minutes. It was very special.”

Leah Carper
Attendees of EdNC’s book club event at Scuppernong Books in Greensboro. Alli Lindenberg/EducationNC
Anna Pogarcic/EducationNC
Alli Lindenberg/EducationNC
Anna Pogarcic/EducationNC