From EdNC, March 4, 2019, by Analisa Sorrells
After recruiting, training, and inducting a teacher, what does it take to keep them in the classroom? Answering that question was the focus of the Governor’s Commission on Access to Sound Basic Education during its meeting last week.
In the Media
Rethinking the Teaching Profession
From American Enterprise Institute, February 8, 2019, by Frederick M. Hess and Amy Cummings
The very shape of the teaching profession has made it increasingly difficult to recruit or compensate educators in a fashion that both attracts and retains talent. Here are four ways to rethink it.
Coker-Wimberly: Setting Kindergarteners Up for Success Starts Day One
From EducationNC, February 6, 2019, by Liz Bell
When children come to the first day of kindergarten, they come with a variety of needs, personalities, abilities, and backgrounds. The most important thing in those first few weeks is building a routine, said Annette Kent, a kindergarten teacher at Coker-Wimberly Elementary School in Edgecombe County.
Three North Carolina School Districts Win State Advanced Teaching Roles Funding to Implement Opportunity Culture®
From EdNC, January 31, 2019
In the latest round of funding for the state’s Advanced Teaching Roles pilot, the North Carolina State Board of Education awarded grants to three districts that will implement Opportunity Culture roles—Halifax County and Hertford County in eastern North Carolina and Lexington City Schools in Davidson County.
North Pitt Benefits from Effort to Boost Math Instruction
From The Daily Reflector, January 28, 2019
A public-private educational partnership will augment mathematics instruction at North Pitt High School this semester as part of a project to partner remote expertise with teachers on site at schools statewide.
VCS Teacher Joins Pilot Program Aimed at Benefiting Rural Districts
From The Daily Dispatch, January 28, 2019, by Miles Bates
Stanford Wickham, a Vance County High School math teacher who also teaches Advanced Placement calculus to seniors, is part of a team of teachers that Maria Hernandez of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics is leading in a pilot program aimed at furthering access to excellent teaching across the state. No longer available online.
Edgecombe Schools to Host Job Fair for Teaching Leaders
From Rocky Mount Telegram, January 21, 2019, by Amelia Harper
As the Opportunity Culture teaching model expands to historic proportions in Edgecombe County Public Schools, the school district is hosting its first job fair for teacher leadership positions on Saturday. The Opportunity Culture Teacher Leadership Job Fair will be held from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday in the atrium of Martin Millennium Academy at 400 East Johnson Street in Tarboro.
Relevance, Authenticity, Agency Key to School Culture Buy-In
From Education Dive, January 14, 2019, by Shawna De La Rosa
School culture is important, but it can be difficult for administrators to control. Culture can impact student attendance, learning and test scores. It can even affect teacher retention. Once created, a culture is difficult to change since it’s reflective of student and educator attitudes. Administrators can create a plan for change, but it ultimately has to have buy-in from the school community.
Guilford County System Tries New Approach to Help Students at Struggling Schools
From The Greensboro News & Record, January 14, 2019 by Jessie Pounds
After 10 years teaching English at Dudley High School, Ashley Ekwem-Thorpe had plenty of “Panther” pride, but also a desire for a new adventure. So this school year she applied for a new position advertised at Hairston Middle School, a feeder school to Dudley.
Opportunity Culture® Schools Outpace State Results in N.C.
From EdNC, January 2, 2019, by Emily Ayscue Hassel and Bryan C. Hassel
As the founders of the Opportunity Culture initiative to extend the reach of great teaching to many more students, we keep a tight focus on how students and teachers benefit from Opportunity Culture implementation in their schools. In North Carolina — the largest implementation state so far, with 80 schools this year — the latest student growth numbers give one great example.