Education Matters

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

According to the Institute for Emerging Issues at NC State, people in North Carolina are feeling more disconnected than ever and they want to do something about it. So IEI launched a three-year initiative called ReCONNECT NC and this week hundreds of people convened in Raleigh to focus on reconnection between rural and urban areas. The Institute’s Director Leslie Boney joins us talk about the challenges and what they’ve learned so far. We also talk to Wake County School Board Member Keith Sutton who makes some news with an announcement on the show. Guests: • Leslie Boney, Director, Institute for Emerging Issues, NC State • Keith Sutton, Wake County School Board

The State Treasurer of North Carolina has broad responsibilities over the finances of the state that have big implications for public education including state employee retirement and pension plans, the State Health Plan and how the state finances school construction. This week we talk with State Treasurer Dale Folwell about these topics and more. We also talk with an NC State Professor, Dr. Michael Maher, about why he wants to be the next State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Guests: • Dale Folwell, State Treasurer of North Carolina • Dr. Michael Maher, Assistant Dean of Professional Education, NC State

North Carolina’s public schools are becoming increasingly diverse with students of color now making up more than 50 percent of total enrollment. The state’s teaching workforce, however, does not reflect that diversity, with about 80 percent of teachers both white and female. Does it matter, and if so what do we need to do about it? Guests: • Kelly Hinchcliffe, Education Reporter, WRAL News • Lena Tillett, Reporter, Anchor/Reporter, WRAL News • Dr. Anthony Jackson, Superintendent, Vance County Public Schools • Patricia Harris, Director of Recruitment, UNC-CH School of Education

This week’s show was recorded live at the Public School Forum of North Carolina’s Eggs & Issues Breakfast. A panel of award winning educators and students discuss the top education issues facing the state in 2019. Guests: • Beth Embree, 2018-19 NC School Counselor of the Year, Catawba County • Alexa Jimenez, 2018 Latinx 20 Under 20, Wake County • Freebird McKinney, 2018 NC Teacher of the Year, Alamance County • Tabari Wallace, 2018 NC Principal of the Year, Craven County

When the new NC General Assembly was sworn in last week, about 1/4 of the 50-member Senate were new faces. On the House side, 26 brand new members joined, about 20 percent of the 120-member chamber. That group included 17 Democrats who helped end the Republican’s supermajority, but a legislature where the GOP remains firmly in the majority. This week we’re joined by four of those Freshmen, 2 Democrats and 2 Republicans, to discuss their views on education and their goals for the new session. Guests: • Rep. Julie von Haefen (D) Wake • Rep. Rachel Hunt (D) Mecklenburg • Sen. Jim Burgin (R) Harnett, Johnston, Lee • Rep. Chris Humphrey (R) Lenoir, Pitt

As a new NC General Assembly returns to Raleigh without a Republican supermajority for the first time since 2012, we’re joined by three respected journalists to discuss what to expect in 2019 in terms of education policy and how the new balance of power might shape the debates and key issues. Guests: • Rob Christensen, Former Chief Political Writer, News & Observer • Liz Schlemmer, Education Policy Reporter, WUNC Radio • Billy Ball, Managing Editor, NC Policy Watch

Peter Hans became the ninth president of the NC Community College System in May. He now oversees 58 community colleges that educate more than 700,000 students every year, the 3rd largest community college system in the country. This week we talk with Peter about the opportunities and challenges for community colleges and education overall here in North Carolina, as well as his goals for the new year.