Education Matters

While the official Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1st through November 30th, September historically has been the most active month for hurricanes affecting North Carolina, with 35 percent of all hurricanes striking the state in that month including Hurricane Florence last year. As a new school year begins, we talk to two education leaders about how these major storms affect our schools and how we can better prepare for the next one. We also talk to a meteorologist on what we might expect for this year’s peak season. Guests: • Dr. Mike Ward, Former State Superintendent of Public Instruction • Dr. Meghan Doyle, Superintendent, Craven County Schools • Mike Maze, WRAL-TV Meteorologist

We know that Adverse Childhood Experiences or ACEs can lead to long-term health issues as adults, but we’re just beginning to understand the impact trauma has on a child’s ability to learn during the critical early years in school. The good news is researchers have identified strategies that help these students learn and they are beginning to be implemented in public schools across North Carolina. Today we’re going to talk with two leaders of the NC Resilience & Learning Project and hear from principals from Eastern North Carolina who are rolling out these game-changing efforts in their schools. Guests: • Elizabeth DeKonty, Director, NC Resilience & Learning Project • Dr. Katie Rosanbalm, Senior Research Scientist, Duke Center for Child and Family Policy • Jessica Parker, Assistant Principal, Phillips Middle School, Edgecombe County Public Schools • Roderick Tillery, Principal, Baskerville Elementary School, Nash Rocky Mount Public Schools

While school choice and education privatization efforts grab headlines and generate a great deal of activity at the NC General Assembly, a wide array of innovative and transformative efforts are quietly underway in public school systems all across North Carolina. This week we’re going to introduce you to the state’s first renewal school district that was granted broad flexibility and local control to redesign how their schools operate. We’ll also meet the co-founder of The Innovation Project that is working with superintendents across the state to implement new practices in the districts they lead. Guests: Dr. Lynn Moody, Superintendent, Rowan-Salisbury School System Ann McColl, Chief Executive Officer, The Innovation Project

Governor Roy Cooper vetoed the budget passed by the NC General Assembly on June 28th and offered up a counter proposal a week later. Now more than a month has passed and the General Assembly has yet to bring a veto override vote to the floor and publicly there seems to be little movement on a budget both sides will accept. This week we sat down with Governor Cooper and discussed the state of the budget, his priorities particularly in education and what’s next now one month into a new fiscal year without a state budget. Guest: Governor Roy Cooper, State of North Carolina

The North Carolina State Health Plan is managed by the State Treasurer of North Carolina Dale Folwell. His office has been engaged in a bitter battle with the state’s hospitals and healthcare networks over pricing and the contract dispute has more than 700,000 teachers, state employees, retirees and their dependents caught in the middle. This week we talk to Treasurer Dale Folwell about his plans and we meet two educators very concerned about the impact this fight could have on them and their families. Guests: • Dale Folwell, Treasurer, State of North Carolina • Susan Ringo, Librarian, Wilkes County Schools • Mike Landers, Teacher, Cabarrus County Schools

Last year, students from Wake County’s Middle Creek High School, along with students from two other local schools, worked with the Alabama-based Equal Justice Initiative to document the only confirmed lynching case in Wake County. Following this transformative work, students began working with the Wake County Truth and Reconciliation Commission's ongoing efforts to bring a memorial marker and other activities to the area to shed further light on that event. We’ll hear from two of the students and the teacher who inspired them to embark on this journey. Guests: • Matt Scialdone, English Teacher, Middle Creek High School, Wake County • Destinee Eaton, Student, Middle Creek High School Class of 2018 • Yancy Greer, Student, Middle Creek High School Class of 2019

Just one day after the General Assembly passed a new state budget, Governor Roy Cooper announced he was vetoing it, citing lack of investment in public education and failure to expand Medicaid to provide health coverage for low income North Carolinians. So what happens next? We’re joined today by two top political reporters to discuss. We’re also going to continue our series of interviews with candidates for State Superintendent when we’re joined by a former director at the Department of Public Instruction, Amy Jablonski. Guests: • Will Doran, NC Politics Reporter, News & Observer • Lauren Horsch, Reporter, N.C. Insider • Dr. Amy Jablonski, Candidate, State Superintendent of Public Instruction

Some of North Carolina’s top rated high schools are what are commonly referred to as early college high schools. These schools allow students to earn college credits while working towards graduation and are typically paired with a local community college or university. The North Carolina Senate now wants to end funding for them. This week we talk to early college leaders and advocates about the plan to defund them including the 2019 Principal of the Year, Matt Bristow-Smith, who leads one of these schools in Eastern North Carolina. Guests: • Matt Bristow-Smith, Principal, Edgecombe Early College High School, 2019 NC Principal of the Year • Dr. Beth Glennie, Senior Education Research Analyst, RTI International • Bharadwaj Chintalapati, Graduate, Wake Early College of Health and Sciences • Aaron Penny, Graduate, Johnston County Early College Academy

The State of North Carolina is fortunate to be home to thousands of exceptional public school teachers. In fact North Carolina leads the nation in the percentage of Nationally Board Certified teachers, the gold standard for professional excellence in teaching. This week on the show you’re going to meet three rock star teachers including the new 2019 NC Teacher of the Year Mariah Morris from Moore County and the 2018 NC Teacher of the Year and Western Region Teacher of the Year Freebird McKinney and Julie Paige Pittman. We’ll introduce you to Mariah Morris and talk teacher leadership with Freebird and Julie. Guests: • Mariah Morris, 2019 NC Teacher of the Year • Freebird McKinney, 2018 NC Teacher of the Year • Julie Paige Pittman, 2018 Western Region Teacher of the Year

E-cigarettes, Vaping. Juuling. Whatever you know it by, their use is skyrocketing among students. Last week North Carolina became the first state in the country to file a lawsuit against popular e-cigarette maker Juul Labs alleging the company is downplaying the potency and danger of nicotine and illegally targeting young people through its marketing and advertising. This week we’re joined by North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein to discuss the lawsuit his office filed against Juul and what he hopes to accomplish. Then we’ll talk to one the state’s top public health officials about the growing use and risks associated with vaping and to a Wake County Schools District leader about how they are tackling this epidemic in our schools. Guests: • Josh Stein, NC Attorney General • Dr. Susan Kansagra, Section Chief - Chronic Disease and Injury, NC Division of Public Health • Brian Glendenning, Senior Administrator - Healthful Living, Wake County Public Schools

The school year may be nearing an end, but education policymaking is heating up in Raleigh. For the second year in a row, thousands of teachers marched and rallied outside the General Assembly. At the very same time House lawmakers were passing their proposed state budget for the next 2 years including many key education provisions. This week we recap the teacher rally with our interviews from the march and then we discuss the House budget with two leading education policy experts on what’s in, what’s out and what’s next. Guests: • Dr. Lauren Fox, Senior Policy Director, Public School Forum of NC • Matt Ellinwood, Director, Education & Law Project, NC Justice Center

The rate of teen suicide in North Carolina has doubled in the last 10 years. Self-harm among 10- to 14-year-old girls in the U.S. has nearly tripled since 2009. Nearly one in seven U.S. children and adolescents has a mental health condition and half go untreated. This week we explore this often difficult topic with a panel experts to try to understand the real facts and where to go from here. We’ll also meet a Wake County mother who lived through the unthinkable when her middle school age son took his own life. This special 100th episode panel discussion was recorded with a live studio audience. Guests • Dr. Carrie Brown, Chief Medical Officer for Behavioral Health & IDD, NC Dept. of Health & Human Services • Dr. Mitch Prinstein, Director of Graduate Studies, UNC-Chapel Hill and author of "Popular: The Power of Likability in a Status-Obsessed World" • Shannon McDonald, Wake County parent • Symone Kiddoo, School Social Worker, Durham Public Schools

On May 16th last year, nearly 20,000 North Carolina teachers descended on Raleigh for a march and rally outside the NC General Assembly asking for more support for public schools and respect for the teaching profession. Teachers are planning another rally on May 1 this year asking the General Assembly to fully fund public education. This week we’re joined by Mark Jewell, President of the NC Association of Educators that organized these marches to discuss what teachers hope to accomplish this year. Then we’ll be joined by two leading journalists to talk about the teacher march, education policy, the state budget and more. Guests: • Mark Jewell, President, NC Association of Educators • Kelly Hinchcliffe, Education Reporter, WRAL News • Jeff Tiberii, Capitol Bureau Chief, WUNC Radio

Our state’s public schools are facing critical teacher shortages and longer term teaching vacancies. At the same time, enrollment in the state’s teacher preparation programs continue to lag. In response, state leaders have been looking at ways to expand the teacher pipeline including recruiting more out-of-state teachers and adding new pathways to teaching careers. This week we talk with several education leaders who are at the center of these efforts to discuss the challenges and the most promising solutions. Guests: •Dr. Patrick Miller, Superintendent, Greene County Schools •Dr. Aaron Fleming, Superintendent, Harnett County Schools •Dr. Anthony Graham, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Winston-Salem State University •Dr. Diana Lys, Assistant Dean for Educator Preparation and Accreditation, UNC-Chapel Hill School of Education

There appears to be a growing bipartisan consensus that we’re over-testing our state’s public school students. There’s also increasing scrutiny over how those standardized tests are being used to assign A-F letter grades to schools and to set pay for teachers and principals. This week we talk with two legislators who are both NC classroom teachers and are backing efforts in the House for changes. We also continue our State Superintendent candidate interviews with James Barrett, a member of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education. Guests: • Rep. Jeffrey Elmore (R), District 94 – Alexander, Wilkes • Rep. Ashton Wheeler Clemmons (D), District 57 – Guilford • James Barrett, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board

Two years ago, Roy Cooper was elected Governor of North Carolina as a champion for teachers and public schools. He’s just unveiled his proposed state budget to a more balanced General Assembly than the Republican supermajority of his first two years, but one where the GOP remains firmly in charge. Governor Cooper joins us this week for the full show to talk about his education priorities and what he hopes to accomplish over the next two years.

This week on Education Matters we welcome two educators who are making news. First up is Leigh Kokenes. She’s a School Psychologist in the Wake County Public Schools System and was recently named the National School Psychologist of the Year. We’ll talk to Leigh about role of a school psychologist and what our students and schools need. Then we’ll continue our series of State Superintendent candidate interviews by welcoming Dr. Jen Mangrum. She’s a professor in teacher education at UNC-Greensboro who last year ran a high profile campaign for the State Senate against Senate President Phil Berger. Guests: • Leigh Kokenes, Wake County Public Schools, National School Psychologist of the Year • Dr. Jen Mangrum, Associate Professor in Teacher Education, UNC-Greensboro

It’s been more than two years since Mark Johnson was elected State Superintendent of Public Instruction. He’s just unveiled a new initiative that aims to make North Carolina the best place to learn and teach by the year 2030. Superintendent Johnson joins us this week for the full show to talk about the new effort and his legislative agenda. We ask him about everything from private school vouchers to the best way to fund our state’s significant public school needs. Guest: Mark Johnson, State Superintendent of Public Instruction

The history of school desegregation includes many important stories of courageous African American families and their children who were the first to attend previously whites-only schools. But there’s another history that often goes untold. That one is about the rich history of education provided by the historically segregated black schools. Innovative and creative leaders, many of them born in slavery, created schools that would transform and inspire subsequent generations. This week we’re telling part of their story through a new initiative from Wake County Schools to chronicle the rich history of Wake’s historically segregated schools. Guests: • Dr. Jim Martin, Chairman, Wake County Board of Education • Natalie Perkins, Former Washington Elementary Student • Mary Linda Hall Jordan, Former Apex Consolidated High School Student • Deborah Beckwith, Former Holly Springs & Apex Consolidated Student

A study released this week by the Public School Forum of NC shows a growing gap in public school funding between the highest and lowest-wealth counties in the state. These funding disparities have a real impact on education, including the ability of lower wealth counties to fund local supplemental pay to attract and retain teachers. We talk to the study’s lead, plus two NC school superintendents, about how funding affects educational opportunity in their communities. Guests: • Lauren Fox, Senior Director of Policy, Public School Forum of NC • Dr. Tim Markley, Superintendent, New Hanover County Schools • Dr. Valerie Bridges, Superintendent, Edgecombe County Public Schools