NC public school teachers ranked student discipline as their toughest workplace challenge in a 2026 statewide survey of more than 102,000 educators, with concerns most acute in middle and high schools. Teachers tied the problem to inconsistent consequences and weak administrative follow-through, fueling burnout and threatening retention.
Four House Democrats have filed HB 1066, the Child Care Stabilization & Affordability Act, which would cut nearly $400 million from North Carolina's Opportunity Scholarship Program over two years and redirect the money to child care subsidies, while restoring a 200% income cap on voucher eligibility.
Thousands of educators rallied in Raleigh May 1, as schools closed statewide and lawmakers debate competing proposals on teacher pay and education funding.
A North Carolina Senate committee on April 29 advanced Senate Bill 840, which would scrap the Praxis Core entrance exam for teacher preparation programs, loosen the licensure exam timeline, and ease the path for out-of-state teachers seeking NC licensure.
A North Carolina Senate committee on April 29 advanced Senate Bill 840, which would scrap the Praxis Core entrance exam for teacher preparation programs, loosen the licensure exam timeline, and ease the path for out-of-state teachers seeking NC licensure.
The NC Senate Education/Higher Education Committee voted April 29 to advance House Bill 301, the Social Media Protections for Minors Under 16 Act, reviving a measure that passed the House 106-6 last May but stalled in the Senate. The committee also adopted an AI-in-schools amendment and heard testimony from a Meta attorney backing the bill while pushing to shift age verification onto Apple and Google's app stores.
Claude responded: A new state law banning smartphones during instructional time took effect Jan.A new state law banning smartphones during instructional time took effect Jan. 1 in North Carolina, but a Chapel Hill-Carrboro parent group of more than 300 members says the bigger problem is the school-issued Chromebooks kids bring home. Founder Mary Beth Roche and UNC public health professor Karl Johnson argue district policy is moving too slowly and too narrowly, while a new UNC study shows uneven enforcement of the cellphone ban statewide and growing distraction from school-issued devices.
NCs new Blue Ribbon Commission on Public Education held its first meeting on April 27. Gov. Josh Stein and state officials touted "historic milestones" in public schools — including a record graduation rate — even as data showed roughly 45% of students aren't proficient in reading and math.
NC State Treasurer Brad Briner announced the creation of an internship program for high school students within his department that will promote financial literacy across the state.
North Carolina education policy critics say Superintendent Mo Green's new "Achieving Educational Excellence" strategic plan pays too little attention to whether students are actually learning, with its eight guiding pillars largely silent on the core test score benchmarks that measure grade-level proficiency in reading and math. The critique comes as state and national data show NC students still lagging behind pre-COVID academic levels.
Gov. Josh Stein's recommended state budget would phase out North Carolina's Opportunity Scholarship Program by halting new awards and imposing an income cap of roughly $90,000 for a family of four. That would strip scholarships from an estimated 60,000 of the program's 106,789 current recipients.
