News

Investing in Education is A Choice, Not An Invoice

The 25-year lawsuit to improve education funding in North Carolina reached a major milestone last week and reactions ranged from “I told you so.” to “How will we pay for it all?”

Why Grade-Level Reading Matters

Being able to read on grade-level by the third grade can change a child’s life. For five years, WakeEd Partnership’s Partners Read program has placed mentors into Wake County Public Schools to read with developing first and second grade students and has provided...

Four NC Communities Receive National Honors for Literacy Initiatives

The national Campaign for Grade-Level Reading (CGLR) is recognizing four North Carolina communities for measurable progress on key indicators of early school success. Read Charlotte in Mecklenburg County; Chatham Reads in Chatham County; Growing Moore Readers of Moore County and WAKE Up and Read in Wake County reported progress in 2017 for children from low-income families toward at least one CGLR indicator: school readiness, school attendance or summer learning.

Former Teacher Leaves $2.7 Million to Establish College Scholarship Program in Wake County

WakeEd Partnership is pleased to present the first class of Coach Bob Pittard Scholars. Mr. Pittard was a former teacher and graduate from Wake County Public Schools who left in his will financial capabilities and direction to establish a sustainable college scholarship fund for student athletes in Apex, North Carolina.

A-maize-ing PBL at Weatherstone Elementary School

While participating in WakeEd’s SummerSTEM program, Mrs. Sautro and Mrs. Rhyne from Weatherstone Elementary School were embedded in leading STEM companies and received coaching in the implementation of project-based learning.

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Investor Spotlights

Investing in Education is A Choice, Not An Invoice

The 25-year lawsuit to improve education funding in North Carolina reached a major milestone last week and reactions ranged from “I told you so.” to “How will we pay for it all?”

Investor Spotlight: First Citizens Bank

First Citizens has served North Carolina for 121 years, so we know the difference public education has made and is making in our communities. Vibrant public schools are a critical engine for furthering economic growth.

WakeEd Wednesdays

WakeEd Wednesdays is a weekly series produced to simplify many of the complexities of North Carolina’s largest school district, the Wake County Public School System. With more than 180 schools, 160,000 students, and 11,000 teachers, WCPSS has a major impact on all Wake County residents regardless of whether they have children enrolled in the schools.

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WakeEd Partnership Announces Leadership Change

Wake County Education Nonprofit Names Interim President, Begins Search for Leader in 2020 RALEIGH, N.C. — WakeEd Partnership (WakeEd), a business-backed nonprofit organization committed to supporting teachers and students in the Wake County Public School System...

Investing in Education is A Choice, Not An Invoice

The 25-year lawsuit to improve education funding in North Carolina reached a major milestone last week and reactions ranged from “I told you so.” to “How will we pay for it all?”

Boosting Hourly Pay is One Way to Ease School Bus Driver Shortage

For most people, the yellow school bus has a straightforward purpose: to get kids to and from school safely and in a timely manner each day. The concept is so simple it borders on mundane, but ask any school transportation official, bus driver, or school principal and it will be clear that the yellow school bus is perhaps the most crucial component of the school day for many kids.

National Reading Scores Show NC Literacy Instruction Needs Improvement

The disappointing news last week that the state’s overall reading proficiency of fourth graders has dropped since the start of the Read to Achieve law reveals some major flaws with that program, and it’s not with the teachers.

Even in large organizations like WCPSS focusing on finer details contributes to overall success

It can be easy to overlook details that tell a larger story while running a $1.6 billion organization with more than 19,000 employees, but as the saying goes: the devil is in the details.

Desegregation Efforts Taking an Important New Direction in WCPSS Schools

Wake County has been a national leader for its desegregation efforts for more than 40 years, and the Board of Education is poised to continue that leadership with a new approach to improving integration in its 191-and-growing schools

Stagnant School Performance Reveals It’s Time For A Change

The North Carolina school performance grades released last week continue to tell the same stories across the state: the schools with well off students perform better than schools with students from lower income families. That’s not what the school accountability is supposed to be telling us about our schools.

MVP Math = content + skills: A formula for workforce readiness and student success

There’s a common theme that comes through frequently as WakeEd interacts with dozens of business leaders around the Triangle: they need a ready workforce. Readiness means more than credentials and content knowledge, however. Business leaders almost unanimously say they need employees who can work in teams, convey information, perform analysis and solve problems.

BTLN: School Grade Versus Teacher Turnover

By: Margaret Borden | Math Teacher, Knightdale High School “Mrs. Borden, I know I want to study schools, but there are so many variables to choose from, how in the world will I narrow this down in time?” - Kiara Bush, May 17, AP Statistics class Since February, Kiara...

A 15-Point Win for School Report Cards

A bill on its way to the governor for signature will prevent a major upheaval in the way school performance is measured. It’s an issue that WakeEd and others have actively pursued for three years.

Wake’s Leaders Chose Wisely with New Tax Rate

This year’s Wake County tax increase was a big step in the direction of adequate funding because state leaders persist in approving austere budgets which have left large and small counties alike with picking up the tab for services traditionally funded by the state.

WCPSS is No Longer the Top Driver of Tax Increases in Wake County

This year’s budget process has marked a turning point in the discussion about local education funding. The school system is no longer the main driver of the proposed property tax increase.

County Manager David Ellis Proposes $36.5 million more for WCPSS

In his second budget as county manager, David Ellis proposed a 6.36-cent tax increase that would send $36.5 million in additional spending for operations of the Wake County Public School System.

Link: Career-Focused PBL at North Wake College and Career Academy

This year, North Wake College and Career Academy engaged businesses from two different industries in providing hands-on PBL experiences for students.

Link: Capturing the Spirit of Lead Mine Elementary School

Lead Mine Elementary School leaders are collaborating with marketing professionals from Lifetouch and AlphaGraphics to help capture the spirit of Lead Mine students, teachers, and parents.

Link: Exploring Global Careers at Dillard Drive Middle School

Dillard Drive Middle School and LORD Corporation are collaborating to expose students to variety of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) careers.

Report: Teachers have the greatest impact on inspiring students to pursue STEM careers

There’s been a lot of buzz in recent years about exposing more K-12 students, especially girls and minorities, to STEM career fields. These fields are particularly male dominated, and they are among some of the highest-paying professions lately. However, the barriers...

Several plans emerge to pay for statewide school construction and renovation

With four competing proposals, it is very likely North Carolina will have a plan for school construction by the end of this year’s legislative session. How it will be funded and how much Wake County might receive when everything is final is anybody’s guess at this...

Intern Profile: Hannah Naylor

Hi, I’m Hannah Naylor, a senior at Meredith College majoring in Mass Communication and Public Relations, with minors in Professional Writing and Presentation Media, and Sociology. While at Meredith I have served in leadership positions with Lambda Pi Eta Honor...

It’s Time for a Productive Conversation About Honoring Educator Professionalism

Regardless of the profession and above all else, employees want to feel respected and valued. How that respect and value is measured differs across the industry spectrum, but some common themes occur in all areas such as meaningful and productive work, adequate...

Slowing Enrollment Growth Emerges as Opportunity for WCPSS

A national trend has caught up with Wake County Public School System that has caused district leaders to change the way they think about the future.The U.S. birth rate has declined in recent years, and it hit a 30-year low in 2017, according to...

Funding is Key to Achieving Success for Public Schools in 2019

Looking back over 2018, it was a good year for advancing good public education policies. Teachers received another raise, a compromise was reached which will reduce class sizes in kindergarten through third grade, and most importantly Wake County voters overwhelmingly...

WakeEd Urges Voters to Support the WCPSS Bond Referendum on Nov. 6

The schools will be built no matter what. The schools will be built If the bond referendum passes, and taxes will go up if the bond referendum passes. The schools will be built If the bond referendum fails, but taxes will go up even higher if the bond referendum...

September 2018 BTLN Kickoff

Wake Beginning Teacher Leadership Network kicked off its 2018-2019 sessions with a great opportunity to dive in and network! We began our night with some yummy pizza catered by Papa Murphy’s and the room was buzzing with teacher’s checking in about how the school year...