June 2022

A public charter school in Gastonia, NC

Coalition 2021-22 Charter Champions

House Speaker Tim Moore with Lindalyn Kakadelis.

Senate Leader Phil Berger with Lindalyn Kakadelis.

Senator Paul Lowe with Lindalyn Kakadelis and Lee Teague.

Senator Mike Woodard with Lindalyn Kakadelis and Lee Teague.

This week the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) announced $6 million in funding for new research into pandemic learning. The initiative is a joint effort between DPI and UNC-Chapel Hill’s NC Collaboratory. Funds come from a General Assembly appropriation. Research will focus on understanding the pandemic’s impact on students and schools. In addition, research should identify effective interventions.

In a press release from DPI, Superintendent Truitt said, “This joint effort will be instrumental for policymakers as we seek to address the most pressing challenges K-12 students and educators face as a result of the pandemic. More importantly, this research provides a unique opportunity for the K-12 system to harness the research power of North Carolina’s great institutions of higher education.”

Research goals

Project priorities will focus on two key areas, according to the NC Collaboratory:

• Research into the pandemic’s long-term impacts on student learning (such as effects on the educator workforce, best practices in virtual learning, strategies addressing students’ academic and mental health needs, and more)
• Evaluation of the effectiveness of pandemic interventions (funded by ESSER III dollars)

Research will begin as early as this fall and conclude by October 2024. Learn more about the Request for Proposals here.

Earlier this week, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona announced the formation of a new parent advisory group. Known as the “National Parents and Families Engagement Council,” the group includes a broad swath of education stakeholder groups. For instance, the current group encompasses 14 advocacy organizations that the Department has said will represent public school parents as well as parents from public charter, private, and homeschool backgrounds.

“The Council will help foster a collaborative environment where we can work together to serve the best interest of students and ensure they have the academic and mental health support they need to recover from the pandemic and thrive in the future,” Secretary Cardona said in a press release.

Find the list of groups currently participating in the national parent council here.

Also this week, Superintendent Truitt announced the launch of a parent advisory commission for North Carolina. Superintendent Truitt’s group includes parents from all education sectors–in each of the eight education regions of the state. Read more about that in an earlier Coalition blog post.

Find out more about Secretary Cardona’s new parent council from The 74.

Today Superintendent Truitt announced members of her new Parent Advisory Commission. Comprised of 48 North Carolina parents, the commission will begin meeting this fall. According to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction’s press release, the group will share aspirations for public education and feedback on policy. In addition, members will provide parent perspectives and recommendations.

“This commission is focused on giving parents a seat at the table and strengthening parent and family involvement in education,” Sup. Truitt said.

Parent membership by region

The commission represents all sectors of K-12 education. For instance, parent members have children who attend traditional public, public charter, home, and private schools. Sup. Truitt selected six parents from each of the eight education regions using the following criteria:

• Two parents with children in traditional public schools
• One parent each with children in public charter, home, and private schools (three parents total)
• One parent from the largest county in each region

Clearly, interest was high: More than 3,000 parents applied to be commission members. Parents will now serve two-year terms, from 2022 to 2024.

Eight public charter school parents will serve

In total, eight parents will represent public charter schools in North Carolina. Their names are:

• Tamara Adams (North Central)
• Beatriz “Betty” Ward (Northeast)
• Jessica Hofstetter (Piedmont-Triad)
• Nazila Alimohammadi (Southwest)
• Jessica Lopez (Southeast)
• Shawn Wright (Western)
• Shanna S. Wall (Northwest)
• Yvette Bell (Sandhills)

Congratulations to these charter parents–and to all of the North Carolina parents who will serve!

Find the full list of commission members on the Parent Advisory Commission website.

Are you interested in applying for an award that recognizes your innovation as an educator? If so, consider applying for a 2022 STOP Award. The deadline to apply is July 15. Awards go to education providers whose work is:

• Sustainable
• Transformational
• Outstanding
• Permissionless

Read more about these ideas here. See the Coalition’s earlier blog post on the STOP Awards. Created by charter school founder and philanthropist Janine Yass, the STOP Awards are a partnership between Forbes and the Center for Education Reform.

$10 million in 2022 awards

Awards for 2022 total $10 million. Moreover, $1 million of this amount will go in a grand prize to the group that most embodies the STOP principles. The Foundation has dubbed this the Yass Prize and is referring to it as the “Pulitzer Prize for Education.” In addition to the Yass Prize, the STOP Foundation will distribute:

• Four $250,000 awards (finalists)
• 27 $200,000 awards (semifinalists)
• 32 $100,000 awards (quarterfinalists)

Apply for a STOP Award here.

According to survey findings, these are the top three conditions that most impact willingness to continue teaching at a school:

• School leadership (33%)
• Time during the work day (17%)
• Managing student conduct (12%)

These are the most important pandemic issues, according to educators’ survey responses:

• Addressing disparities in student learning (24%)
• School staffing shortages (15%)
• Assessing student performance and needs (13%)
• Social/emotional support for students (12%)
• Health and safety of teachers and staff (9%)

Screenshot from Infographic: “2022 Highlighted Results, NC Teacher Working Conditions Survey,” NC Department of Public Instruction & Academic Development Institute

Some other key findings:

• A majority of educators believe students are at least six months behind: 59% of educators say their students are six months to one year behind in their learning.
• Cyberbullying is pervasive among students, especially in the eyes of principals: Just 36% of principals and 63% of teachers agreed with the statement, “Cyberbullying is not a frequent problem among students” at their district/school.
• Almost 7 in 10 educators believe students’ emotional and mental health needs have grown–in some cases, substantially: 40% say students’ need for support is “much more than before” while 29% say the need is “somewhat more than before.”

Learn more about the survey findings:

• See DPI’s press release about the survey here.
• Find the full survey results here.
• View the survey infographic here.
• Read about the survey from WUNC.

Congratulations to Alpha Academy, a Coalition member school! Along with Capitol Encore Academy, Alpha Academy is the subject of a new Fayetteville Observer article. These two charter schools, the only ones in Cumberland County,  have garnered recognition from local media for their diverse student enrollments.

A majority-minority charter school, Alpha Academy opened in 2000. According to the article:

Eugene Slocum, superintendent at Alpha Academy, said the diverse nature of the school helps attract parents who want their children to receive a well-rounded education.

“When you have a school of choice, the choice is not for the school to select the students, but for the parents to select the school,” he said.

As it turns out, many parents are doing just that! Currently, Alpha Academy enrolls around 950 students. Alpha’s first class of high school seniors graduated recently.

Alpha Academy’s Class of 2022 with actor Derek Luke. Photo credit: Fayetteville Observer, June 1, 2022.

Read the full article here. The article was published in partnership with EdNC.