The N.C. State Board of Education has OK’ed the final round of “unpacking documents” for new controversial social studies standards for K-12 public schools. The vote Thursday, July 8, means social studies teachers now have the full range of guiding documents to implement the revised standards for the coming school year. As with past votes,...
Epidemiologists and infectious disease experts have consistently maintained that the risk of spread of the COVID-19 virus among young children is low. But that hasn’t stopped policymakers like N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper from — for most of the past year — keeping in-person instruction closed for all K-12 students. Many families have suffered as a result. Rachel and Troy Ackerman of...
The Department of Public Instruction spent $76 million of Coronavirus Relief Funds without making sure the money was helping students, a new audit report says. Online learning has created one of the worst years for student success in North Carolina. Almost one in five students aren’t attending class regularly, and experts say the damage will...
More students face repeating a grade than any time in the past century, says David Stegall, deputy superintendent of innovation at the N.C. Department of Public Instruction. Remote learning is failing North Carolina’s students. Roughly 19% of students aren’t attending classes regularly. State officials predict fewer students would graduate or advance to the next grade. ...
As state superintendent, Catherine Truitt will oversee North Carolina’s vast public education system, which spent more than $14 billion this school year. But she won’t be doing it alone. Truitt, a Republican, narrowly defeated Democratic candidate Jen Mangrum for the state’s top education position. Truitt won 51% of the vote. Truitt is chancellor of Western...
On Tuesday, the N.C. Department of Public Instruction released the average daily membership for the first month of the 2020-21 school year. The data represent the first of 10 student enrollment reports published by our state education agency throughout the school year. Compared to the same period last year, the first-month public school ADM declined...
Every North Carolina student, from kindergarteners to post-graduates, will have new health and safety rules to follow this fall. COVID-19 has complicated the traditional school day for all students, teachers, and faculty. Schools and universities are finalizing plans to provide an education with the infectious disease in mind. The fall reopening plans are as far-reaching...
People are scratching their heads over the state’s health guidance about how schools can safely reopen. The upcoming school year won’t be normal, and COVID-19 is to blame, state officials have said. Schools will have to balance teaching students with curbing the spread of the virus. To prepare for the 2020-21 school year, state agencies...
Parents shouldn’t be afraid to homeschool their children, says Sam Sorbo, actress, author, and homeschooling activist. Schools across North Carolina are closed through May 15 to slow the spread of COVID-19. Millions of students were sent home. Parents were given the choice of either waiting for school districts to develop an online learning plan or...
K-12 public schools are closing for two weeks and universities are moving classes online to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. These decisions are affecting students without internet access, but Charter Communications has offered a solution. Charter is giving free Spectrum broadband and wi-fi access for 60 days to households with K-12 or college students...
School is canceled in North Carolina. Now, the state must decide how to handle nutrition, child care, and distance learning. The spread of coronavirus — which stands at 23 cases across the state — is enough for Gov. Roy Cooper to shut down K-12 public schools Monday, March 16. Closings will last at least two...
