Public Schools First NC is proud to announce our Audiocast – available on Spotify or through the links below. Episodes will cover important issues affecting public education in easily digestible episodes. The first episode is under 5 minutes long! Check it out and let us know what you think at info@publicschoolsfirstnc.org.
More Episodes
Ep. 13. This week we discuss a general overview of public education in North Carolina including information about student demographics, the teaching profession, a-f school performance grades, charter schools, and school vouchers.
Ep. 12. Rural schools play a critical role in their communities, serving many functions beyond education. Challenges rural schools face include poverty, underfunding, low academic performance, teacher shortages, and lack of access to high-speed internet. Our rural schools are struggling and they need our support.
Ep. 11. While students as a whole may face difficulties in schooling, those with disabilities have even more significant challenges. Students with disabilities often need extra attention from educators and Inadequate funding levels in North Carolina results in fewer numbers of helping professionals like psychologists, nurses and social workers that often provide vital support for students with disabilities.
Ep. 10. North Carolina’s 2022-2021 State Budget was signed by Governor Roy Cooper on July 11th, 2022. The budget includes pay increases for teachers and state employees, investments in economic development, and the end of North Carolina’s Covid-19 state of emergency fund. Despite increases in pay the budget still fails to adequately support NC educators when adjusted for inflation.
Ep. 9. We discuss the 2022 Poverty and Opportunity report commissioned by the NC Department of Administration Council for Women and Youth Involvement.
Ep. 8. Learn about Adverse Childhood Experiences (or ACE’s) and the documentary Resilience: The Biology of Stress and the Science of Hope, both of which focus on the relationship between chronic stress in childhood and adult health outcomes.
Ep. 7. This week we discuss virtual schools in North Carolina with a specific focus on virtual charter schools. Research has shown that students in virtual charter schools tend to lag behind students in traditional brick and mortar schools. During the Covid-19 pandemic virtual schools were necessary to keep children and educators safe, now that it is safer to return to in person classrooms schools are doing so, however, the conversation surrounding virtual learning is not over.
Ep. 6 discusses the status of LGBTQ+ Youth in education. LGBTQ+ youth are more likely than their peers to experience verbal harassment, exclusion, and physical attacks at school. Parents, educators and other adults who serve children have a key responsibility to create safe spaces so that students can thrive, be successful, and mature into their full potential. The greatest source of resilience for LGBTQ+ youth are supportive adults.
Ep. 5 covers teacher pay in North Carolina. The current statewide average starting teacher salary in NC, not accounting for county disparities is $37,049, placing North Carolina teacher pay at 43rd in the nation. Low salary is one of the many elements that affect the number of teachers going into and staying in the teaching profession in NC. See our fact sheet on teacher pay.
Ep. 4 is about the teacher pipeline crisis. The current statewide average starting teacher salary in NC, not accounting for county disparities is $37,049, placing North Carolina teacher pay at 43rd in the nation. Low salary is one of the many elements that affect the number of teachers going into and staying in the teaching profession in NC. See our Teacher Pipeline fact sheet to learn more.
Ep. 3 discusses teacher attrition in NC based on the 2020-2021 NC DPI State of the Teaching Profession Report. North Carolina is experiencing record numbers of teachers leaving the profession. Treating teachers like professionals, paying them professional level salaries, and helping them develop professionally are necessary if North Carolina wants to maintain a quality public education system. Please see our Teacher Pipeline fact sheet for more information.
Ep. 2 discusses Pre-K in North Carolina, a statewide program launched in 2001 to help at risk 4-year-olds get access to high quality early learning education for free. Please see our fact sheet on Pre-K for more information
Ep. 1 covers the A-F grading system and the grades that are assigned to schools each year based on a two-part formula made up of a school’s achievement score and a school’s growth score. The school performance grades fall far short of representing school quality, mislead the public, and are not required of all schools receiving public funds.
View more episodes on Spotify.
