PRINCIPALS' MESSAGES 2005

MAY 19, 2005

Early June will see the end of my tenure as State Superintendent of North Carolina public schools. When I initially agreed to serve as State Superintendent upon Mike Ward's resignation last fall, I had no idea that I would still be in this position in the spring. It's now time to move in another direction and give my full attention to both personal and professional interests I've had to place on the back burner. Serving in this position has given me a wonderful opportunity to meet many of you and your colleagues and see first-hand your dedication to ensuring the academic success of all public school students. Thank you for your support and my best to each of you as you continue this important work.

Regards,
Tricia Willoughby

In this Biweekly Principals' Message:

1. Gov. Easley Makes State Board Appointments
2. Gov. Easley Announces Grant to Support Technology-Themed High Schools
3. 2004-05 High School Graduate Survey
4. National Board Certified Teachers' Listserv
5. "Booktalking"Listserv Gets a Jump on the 2005-06 School Year
6. North Carolina High Schools Listed in Top 100 High Schools in US
7. Teacher of the Year Interview Available Online
8. NCDPI Middle School Certified Trainers' of Writing Phase IV
9. Math Matters Workshops Scheduled

Gov. Easley Makes State Board Appointments

Last week, Gov. Mike Easley reappointed Howard Lee of Chapel Hill and appointed Melissa Bartlett of Statesville and Shirley Harris of Troy to the State Board of Education. Lee is chairman of the State Board of Education and served in the North Carolina Senate for 13 years. He also is a member of the N.C. State Utilities Commission. Bartlett is a teacher at Lakeshore Middle School in Mooresville (Iredell-Statesville Schools) and has taught in North Carolina middle and high schools and community colleges for more than 13 years. She also was the N.C. Teacher of the Year and one of four finalists for National Teacher of the Year for 2002-03. Harris is a N.C. Teacher Academy Fellow for High Priority Schools and provides professional development and school improvement assistance to teachers and administrators. She also has taught in elementary, middle and high schools in Richmond and Montgomery counties for more than 25 years. State Board members serve eight-year terms. The appointments are awaiting General Assembly confirmation.

Gov. Easley Announces Grant to Support Technology

Themed High Schools - Gov. Mike Easley this week announced that the following seven school districts in North Carolina will receive grants to create technology-themed high schools aimed at better preparing students for the workforce and college: Alamance-Burlington Schools, Camden County Schools, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, Cherokee Central Schools, Public Schools of Robeson County, Scotland County Schools and the Wake County Public School System. The districts will receive a total of $300,000 in financial support and services to replicate the New Technology High School (NTHS) model. The NTHS is located in Napa, CA. The school has been replicated at 11 sites across the country. Characteristics of NTHS include small school size, project- and problem-based learning, technology that supports the curriculum and higher education and business partnerships. Districts receiving the grants plan to open the new schools by fall 2006. These grants are a part of Easley's 21st Century High Schools initiative to reform high schools across the state.

2004-05 High School Graduate Survey

The 2004-05 High School Graduate Survey is designed to collect the names and intentions of high school graduates. Users of the postgraduate intentions data include the state university system, the Employment Security Commission, the N. C. Department of Community Colleges, military recruiters, researchers, and many other agencies and individuals. Survey totals for each LEA and the state are published each year in the North Carolina Public Schools Statistical Profile. The lists of graduates' names are preserved in the State Archives, and occasionally have become the only existing record of an individual's graduation. All schools with 2005 graduates or 2004 summer school graduates must complete this survey. The survey, with instructions, can be found online at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/fbs/ under "What's New." All results must be received by June 28.

National Board Certified Teachers' Listserv

Principals are asked to let their National Board Certified (NBC) teachers know of a new listserv that has been created to provide announcements and support to NBC teachers. Information about renewal of National Board Certification, opportunities to support NBC candidates and information about becoming assessors for NBPTS are just some of the items that will be shared on this listserv. NBC teachers can join the NBCT listserv by sending an email to join-nbct@lists.dpi.state.nc.us.

"Booktalking" Listserv Gets a Jump on the 2005-06 School Year

Would you like for your students, BOB teams, or book clubs to engage in online discussions with other students in your school system as well as schools across the state? Then you may want to recommend to your teachers that they subscribe to DPI's new "Booktalking" listserv and begin networking with other teachers and media coordinators to plan book discussions for the upcoming school year. The goal of this listserv is to use communications technologies to enhance the study and appreciation of literature as well as develop technology competencies and reading and writing skills. For more information or to subscribe, please contact Cris Crissman, Information and Technology Services, NCDPI, via email at ccrissma@dpi.state.nc.us, or by phone, 919.807.3582.

North Carolina High Schools Listed in Top 100 High Schools in US

"Newsweek" Magazine recently released its list of the 1,000 Best High Schools in America and the following nine North Carolina public high schools were included in the top 100: Raleigh Charter (9); Harding University (25) and Myers Park (37) (Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools); East Chapel Hill (38) (Chapel Hill-Carrboro Schools); Enloe (52) (Wake County Schools); North Mecklenburg (56) (Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools); Grimsley (67) (Guilford County Schools); Chapel Hill (74) (Chapel Hill-Carrboro Schools); Butler (88) (Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools). Public schools were ranked according to a ratio devised by taking "the number of Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate tests taken by all students at a school in 2004 divided by the number of graduating seniors." To view the complete list, please go online to http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7761678/site/newsweek/

Teacher of the Year Interview Available Online

Wendy Miller, North Carolina's 2005-06 Teacher of the Year, was recently interviewed for WUNC's State of Things radio show. You can listen to this interview by going online to www.wunc.org and clicking on the State of Things Archives link on the left-hand side. Scroll down to Teaching/NIMBYism/Percy Heath (air date May 6, 2005) and click on the teaching link at the bottom of this section to listen to the interview.

NCDPI Middle School Certified Trainers' of Writing Phase IV

NCDPI's Middle School Certified Trainers' of Writing - Phase IV, a two-day training session, will be held June 20-21 at the Radisson at Governor' s Inn, RTP. The training will focus on "The Five Features of Effective Writing." The registration fee is $275, which includes materials, lunches, and breaks. For more information, including a registration form, please go to the Learn NC/Instructional Services Web site at http://www.learnnc.org/ and click Calendar, then NCDPI Meeting and Training Announcements. For questions regarding the training, please contact Phyllis Blackmon at Middle Grades English Language Arts Consultant, NCDPI Via email at pblackmon@dpi.state.nc.us or by phone, 919.807.3831

Math Matters Workshops Scheduled

Educators are reminded that TEAM II, a five-year National Science Foundation project for teacher leaders, will be offering professional development on the Mathematics Standard Course of Study for elementary teachers at a limited number of sites in July and August. The Math Matters I workshops are a repeat of the Summer 2004 sessions. A new Math Matters II workshop is open to participants from the Summer 2004 Math Matters.

Math Matters I is a two-day workshop for teachers in grades K-5 focusing on important mathematics in North Carolina's Standard Course of Study. The registration fee is $145 and includes materials, lunches, and breaks. Locations are as follows: July 18-19, Waynesville Middle School (Haywood County) and Northwest Elementary School (Lenoir County); July 21-22, Liberty Middle School (Burke County) and North Johnston Middle School (Johnston County); Aug. 1-2, Forbush High School (Yadkin County) and Franklinton Elementary School (Franklin County); and Aug. 4-5, Albemarle Middle School (Stanley County) and Roanoke Middle School (Martin County).

Math Matters II, a three-and-a-half-day workshop for K-5 teachers who participated in Math Matters I in the summer of 2004, will be held July 25-28. The Math Matters II is designed to delve more deeply into the content covered in Math Matters I. This will be a residential professional development at Meredith College, Raleigh. Participants may commute rather than staying on campus; however, participation in all sessions (morning, afternoon, and early evening) is expected. Math Matters II registration is $235 and includes materials, lunches, and breaks. Housing and additional meals at Meredith is $115.Registration forms may be downloaded by going to http://www.learnnc.org/ and clicking on announcements then Math Matters.