GREENSBORO – A Pender County graduate almost missed an opportunity to pursue his dream job because he got into a fight while in high school at age 15.   New Hanover County Chief District Court Judge J.H. Corpening told the State Board of Education (SBE) on Wednesday that the young man dreamed of joining the U.S. Air Force to pursue a career in military intelligence.

Acclaimed author draws parallels between slavery and sexual violence Ever the provocateur, award-winning author Ta-Nehisi Coates has a knack for asking tough, uncomfortable questions about race, a manufactured concept that has left an indelible stain on America hundreds of years after...

An ambitious Raleigh charter school operator’s rapid expansion into the management side of the business has Charter School Advisory Board (CSAB) members concerned.  CSAB members are worried Don McQueen, executive director of Torchlight Academy, won’t be able to juggle current responsibilities with future ones, which could include management of several new charter schools seeking state approval. 

Recurring low-performing schools can get fresh starts under the state’s Restart school reform model, which grants them charter-like flexibility.  That means the schools are free of many of the mandates under which traditional public schools must operate. 

A troubled charter school in the Rowan County town of East Spencer has turned to a man with a checkered financial and criminal history to help it find its footing after a rocky first year that involved parting ways with its management company and finishing the academic year thousands of dollars in the red.

As the proud owner of a new restaurant, Leonardo Williams surely had other things to do this past Saturday.  But there he was, taking notes and listening closely to six state superintendent candidates who want to replace Mark Johnson in the November 2020 General election. 

Kate Walsh, the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) has a reputation for being outspoken and provocative. She lived up to that billing this month during a visit to North Carolina to discuss strategies state education leaders can use to improve college and university programs that prepare teachers for the classroom.

A few short years ago, Lakewood Elementary School in Durham was a low-performing school where only one in four students was proficient in reading. The school’s poor performance landed it on the list of schools for potential takeover by the state’s new Innovative School District (ISD) – a controversial initiative created by lawmakers in 2016 to allow consistently low-performing schools to be placed under the control of private operators.

In one-on-one interview, new Innovative School District principal admits shortcomings of Year One, expresses confidence going forward Southside-Ashpole Elementary School in the Robeson County town of Rowland opened last August as the state’s first and only school in the new Innovative School District (ISD).

Before the State Board of Education approved its new five-year strategic plan, SBE member James E. Ford was asked to clarify the meaning of the word "equity," which is a reoccurring theme throughout the document. That proved easy work for Ford, who co-chaired the SBE Strategic Planning Committee. He’s also a professional consultant on issues of equity in education who just released a major report on the subject.