PRINCIPALS' MESSAGES 2007

MAY 3, 2007 - Principals' Biweekly Message

North Carolina's new Teacher of the Year, James Bell, represents the very best in teaching in North Carolina (see item below on Bell's selection). He also represents thousands of other teachers who serve their students and communities with creativity, dedication and excellence. Please take the time to thank your teachers this month. The National Education Association sponsors National Teacher Appreciation Week during the first full week of May (May 7-11) and National Teacher Day on May 8 - two great opportunities to formally thank the wonderful teachers in our public schools.

Regards,
June Atkinson

In this Biweekly Principals' Message:

1. State Board Meeting Highlights
2. 2007-08 NC Teacher of the Year Named
3. Article of Interest

State Board Meeting Highlights

At today's Board meeting, members approved supplemental education service providers for 2007-08, middle grades education high school graduation requirements, and a revision of the North Carolina Mathematics Standard Course of Study. Board members continued their discussion of the Future-Ready Core. Consensus was strong for setting the implementation date at 2009-2010 for first-time ninth graders; requiring four units of mathematics with provisions for substitute courses for the Integrated Mathematics III or Algebra II requirement based on consultation and permission from parents, administrators and teachers; and delaying requiring all students to take second languages in high school. Instead, Board members would like staff to explore the option of more language instruction in grades K-8. Discussion continues in regard to requiring all students to take a career technical education course and an arts course. Complete Board highlights will be posted online toward the end of next week at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/sbehighlights.

2007-08 NC Teacher of the Year Named

James Bell, an eighth grade English teacher at Chowan Middle School, Edenton-Chowan Public Schools, was named the 2007-08 North Carolina Teacher of the Year at a formal banquet held Tuesday night in Cary. Bell succeeds Diana Beasley from Hickory High School, Hickory Public Schools. To read more about his selection, please go to the NCDPI Web site at http://www.ncpublicschools.org and click on the appropriate link under "News."

Article of Interest

The following article from the PEN Weekly NewsBlast may be of interest to public school principals. In "Making Writing Instruction a Priority in America's Middle and High Schools," The Alliance for Excellent Education argues in a recently released brief that the ability to write well for a variety of audiences and in multiple contexts is as great a predictor of success as is the ability to read proficiently. It is critical that writing proficiency be recognized as an integral skill for success in an increasingly competitive 21st century economy, and that America's secondary schools incorporate more writing instruction into students' coursework. The new brief suggests policy options that would support strategies designed to improve students' ability to write proficiently and help to ensure that they graduate with the skills necessary to succeed in postsecondary education and in today's workplace. The brief can be found online at http://www.all4ed.org/publications/WritPrior.pdf.

 

If you'd like to review past Principals' Biweekly Messages sent to the listserv group, just go online to http://www.ncpublicschools.org/principalsarchive/.