Jan. 14, 2016 Teachers' Biweekly Message - Lynda Fuller
1/14/16 10:32 AM
Jan. 14, 2016 Teachers' Biweekly Message
North Carolina Public Schools <NCPublicSchools@public.govdelivery.com>
Thu 1/14/2016 10:30 AM
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To: Lynda
Fuller <Lynda.Fuller@dpi.nc.gov>;
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Jan. 14, 2016
The New Year transition brings with it predictions for the year
ahead, and this year, WRAL news asked me for my thoughts on the
year ahead. In case you are not a viewer of WRAL here in Raleigh or
a regular visitor to the station’s website, here is what I see ahead in
2016.
1. The General Assembly will give teachers the largest salary
increase in a decade. Rationale: this is an election year plus
teachers deserve a raise in order for education to be competitive
with other professions.
2. A new state testing pilot will be expanded so that teachers,
students and parents will receive immediate feedback after
assessments with a reduction in test taking time. Rationale:
preliminary findings reported by teachers in the pilot show very
positive results.
3. Enrollment in university teacher preparation programs will decrease for the sixth year in a
row. Rationale: young people and second career adults must be attracted to the teaching field by better
salaries and necessary resources.
4. The high school graduation rate will reach another all time high surpassing 86 percent while the State
Board of Education continues to have higher standards for meeting graduation requirements.
5. Investments in early reading will begin to pay off with more students able to read well by third
grade. Rationale: investments in summer camps for 1st and 2nd graders will have a positive impact.
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6. Quality preschool programs will continue to be an issue even though research clearly shows that
quality early learning programs have financial benefit to society and to individuals.
I also predict that your colleagues and you will continue to provide strong educational services to
students in North Carolina, but that prediction is not unique to 2016! I hope your new year is off to a
good start, and I look forward to our continued work together.
State Board of Education
Meeting Highlights
At last week’s State Board of Education meeting, members approved new
Cooperative Innovative High School program applications and changes to
the charter school policy and revocation processes. Board members also
approved reports to the General Assembly on a pilot program to raise the
dropout age to 18 and school connectivity. The complete list of Board
actions is available online.
Jan. 15 is Deadline to Participate in
Instructional Materials Survey
Tomorrow is the deadline to participate in a survey about your use
of instructional materials within Schoolnet, the Instructional
Improvement System.
There are currently over 130,000 materials available for educators to use within Schoolnet. We would
like some detail on which materials are being used, as well as information about the quality of the
materials available. It is important as we move forward with the Instructional Improvement System that
we get feedback from North Carolina teachers and district/school curriculum leaders to ensure the
materials and resources provided are of a high quality and high value-add in terms of improving
instruction and student performance.
Regional Teachers of the Year
Announced
Congratulations to the following nine teachers who were
selected to represent their education districts and charter schools as the state’s regional Teachers of
the Year and will compete for the title of 2016 Burroughs Wellcome Fund North Carolina Teacher of the
Year:
- Northeast: Marie Smith, Conway Middle (Northampton County Schools);
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Southeast: Katie Snyder, Hoggard High (New Hanover County Schools);
North Central: Margaret McNeill, Dunn Middle (Harnett County Schools);
Sandhills: Olivia Hall, Roseboro-Salemburg Middle (Sampson County Schools);
Piedmont-Triad: Kevin Scharen, Graham High (Alamance-Burlington Schools);
Southwest: Bobbie Cavnar, South Point High (Gaston County Schools);
Northwest: Leah Hayes, South Newton Elementary (Newton-Conover City Schools);
Western: Angel Ledbetter, Rutherford Early College High (Rutherford County Schools); and
Charter Schools: Brandon Brown, Lake Norman Charter (Mecklenburg County).
The 2016 North Carolina Teacher of the Year will be announced April 7 at an awards ceremony in Cary.
The winner succeeds 2015 Burroughs Wellcome Fund North Carolina Teacher of the Year Keana
Triplett, a high school English teacher at Ashe County High (Ashe County Schools).
Franklin County Teacher’s
Design Selected for 2016 NC
TWCS Logo
Congratulations to Valerie Hawthorne, a 6th grade social studies teacher at Cedar Creek Middle School
(Franklin County Schools), for designing the new logo and theme for the 2016 NC Teacher Working
Conditions Survey (NC TWCS).
Valerie’s design will be featured on all publications and social media sites advertising the survey. The
NC TWCS’ goal, as always, is 100 percent participation from all schools. Valerie says, “We stress 100
participation in the NC TWCS because we know that data begins with understanding but ends with
action. Your collective voice on this survey results in change at both the district and state level. It is well
worth your time!”
The NC TWCS survey window is March 1-March 25. Thanks to all educators who participated in the
branding contest for this year’s survey theme. For more information, please visit the NC TWCS website
or contact Yvette Stewart, with NCDPI Educator Effectiveness.
Feb. 8-12 is School Bus Driver
Appreciation Week
Feb. 8-12 is School Bus Driver Appreciation Week in North
Carolina. It also is the week when schools are encouraged
to celebrate LOVE THE BUS and talk with students about
school bus safety. More information is available on the NC
School Bus Safety website.
STEM Innovation: Opportunities for Teachers and Students
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STEM Design Challenge for Students Grades 8-12.
Design proposals are now being accepted through a joint
educational program of NASA - the International Space Station and
Portland State University (PSU). Students are invited to participate
in microgravity research on capillary action similar to that which
was conducted on the space station. Sound interesting? Teams will
create their own experiment using Computer-Aided Design CAD
software and NASA and/or PSU staff will aid teams in their
interpretation of their results. Teams may be comprised of an entire
class or informal science clubs of any size. Selection of at least one
qualifying entry from each state and listed territory is guaranteed. Submission deadlines are Feb. 1,
March 1 and April 1. Contact the Capillary Effects on Liquids Exploratory Research Experiments Team
for more information.
NC Space Grant Public Outreach Grant
The NC Space Grant Informal Education and Public Outreach Program is now open for proposals. The
overall goal of the NC Space Grant Informal Education and Public Outreach Program is to increase
interest in and understanding of STEM disciplines by inspiring and engaging individuals of all ages
throughout North Carolina. Visit the Public Outreach Grant web page for more information. Proposals
will be accepted through Feb. 27.
STEM-related Summer Workshop
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta invites you to register for its 2016
Science Ambassador Workshop to be held July 18-22.
Middle and high school teachers will hear presentations and collaborate with CDC scientists, work in
teams to develop lessons plans that will be published on CDC's website, and tour CDC's state-of-theart headquarters. In addition, teachers can earn four continuing education units.
There is no registration fee; however, participants will need to cover their transportation, lodging and
meals. The deadline to register is April 15.
NC Reading Conference Scheduled for March
The 47th NC Reading Conference will be held at the Raleigh Convention Center on March 13-15. This
year's conference offers sessions by NCDPI staff, nationally recognized professional speakers and
authors, college professors, classroom teachers and specialists. Sessions include:
* best practices for implementing the current ELA NC Standard Course of Study standards;
* integration of the ELA standards (Reading, Writing, Speaking & Listening, and Language) as well as
across content areas;
* using the best digital tools in the classroom;
* supporting students in text complexity and close reading; and
* strategies for teaching academic vocabulary.
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Teachers may earn up to 1.5 reading CEUs. Discounted registration is available before Feb. 15.
Online registration and detailed program information are available on the NC Reading Association
website.
READY for Anything: Whatever it Takes to Be the Difference
in the Teaching Profession
The Regional Education Facilitator team is seeking proposals for its first annual Beginning Teacher
Summit to be held this summer on the following dates and at the following locations:
- Northeast: June 30, Edenton
- Southeast: June 27, Wilmington
- North Central: June 29, Cary
- Sandhills: June 28, Pembroke
- Piedmont-Triad: June 30, Greensboro
- Southwest: June 28, Charlotte
- Northwest: June 29, North Wilkesboro
- West: June 27, Cherokee
The team invites proposals that:
- address the needs of beginning teachers through practical professional development;
- provide an opportunity for beginning teachers to establish a network of support;
- outline best practices in the support of beginning teachers;
- reflect the North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards;
- align with the requirements of State Board Policy TCP-A-004 (Policies on the Beginning Teacher
Support Program);
- support beginning teacher growth and leadership opportunities; and
- impact the retention of novice teachers.
Highlighted topics may include classroom management, teacher leadership, parent communication,
professionalism, differentiation, and content area best practices. Sessions will be 60 minutes each.
Please note that there is no registration fee for this summit; however, travel expenses are the
responsibility of the presenter or the LEA/charter. Proposals are to be submitted online by Feb. 12.
North Carolina Action Research Portal:
Teachers Learning from Teachers
The North Carolina Teacher Action Research Portal site publishes the results of classroom-based action
research performed by North Carolina teachers as part of the Governor’s Teacher Network. Teachers
and principals may search 219 projects by grade, subject or keyword. Find out what teachers learned
studying a problem of practice in the classroom and how they used their learning to improve specific
instruction for students. This portal is one of the resources found on the Educator Effectiveness Online
Professional Development System web page.
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World View Offers PD Opportunities
World View is offering two spring professional development opportunities for teachers. Both will be held
at The Friday Center for Continuing Education, UNC-Chapel Hill.
Building Bridges: Cultural Respect and Equity in the Classroom will be held March 22-23 (1.5 days). This
seminar explores issues of multicultural education and equity to build a culture and climate of respect in
the classroom. Breakout sessions include unconscious bias, safe classrooms for all, using film for global
education, pop culture and stereotypes, and culture and the media.
Europe at a Crossroads will be held March 23-24 (1.5 days). This seminar explores critical issues facing
Europe including Europe’s Islamic face, Putin and Russia’s ascendancy on the world stage, the
European Economy, the European Union and the refugee crisis. Breakout sessions continue with key
issues and resources to teach about Europe, including literature in the new Europe, Europe’s cities,
education, environmental movements and global citizenship.
Registration fees are $175 per person or $600 for a team of four. If you attend both seminars, it’s $325
per person and $1200 for a team of four. CEUs offered and may be applied toward the Global Educator
Digital Badge. For more information, visit World View’s website.
Stop Rx Abuse Video Contest
Attorney General Roy Cooper and the NC Department of Justice will hold its Stop Rx Abuse video
contest again this year. The contest, which runs from March 1 – April 18, is open to all students in
grades 6 – 12. Each school will soon receive detailed information by mail. Please encourage your
students to help warn others about the dangers of prescription drug abuse. To learn more, visit
http://ncdoj.gov/stoprxabuse or contact StopRxAbuse@ncdoj.gov.
Stay Connected with North Carolina Public Schools:
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