COMMON QUESTIONS
COMMON QUESTIONSENROLLMENT/MOVING TO NORTH CAROLINA
What day does school start/end?
School systems determine the academic calendars individually. NC DPI does not
maintain a central list of these. Please contact your school system for more
information.
At what age can my child start school?
If the child reaches the age of five years on or before August 31st of the
year he/she is presented for enrollment, the child is eligible to enroll.
If his fifth birth date falls on or after September 1st, the child is not eligible
to enroll. For more information about School Entry Age, please visit the State Board of Education website.
Please speak with your school or school system's central office concerning
questions about child placement or enrollment instructions/requirements.
I am moving to the area. How do I enroll my child in school?
Enrollment is handled at the local level. Please contact your school district
for further details. Visit the N.C. School Report Cards site to look up
school and school district contact information.
How do you enroll in a charter school?
Parents must contact each individual school to see if they have openings.
If they have more applicants than available slots, an open lottery must be
instituted to fill the remaining spots. For a list of schools, please visit
http://www.ncpublicschools.org/charterschools/schools/.
For more answers, please see the Charter Schools
FAQ.
What are the best schools in North Carolina?
NC DPI does not rank or recommend schools. Decisions should be made
through careful research of student performance, atmosphere, activities,
location,
etc. You are encouraged to visit the N.C. School Report Cards site online.
Each report card includes a school or district profile and information
about student performance, safe schools, access to technology, and
teacher quality.
However, the best source of information is the local school system.
The state's accountability program does not take into account other
factors
that may
be important to you such as leadership, school environment, breadth
of academic offerings, and extracurricular programs.
Where can I find more information about private or home schooling?
The Department of Public Instruction does not oversee private or home schooling.
Instead, please contact the Division of Non-Public Education on the Web
at
http://www.ncdnpe.org/ or by phone 919.733.4276.
EMPLOYMENT
To learn about teaching
careers in North Carolina please visit:
http://www.ncpublicschools.org/licensure/beginning/.
Educators who need to update or renew their license should visit
http://www.ncpublicschools.org/licensure/update/.
Where can I find information
about teacher salaries and benefits? Please visit: http://www.ncpublicschools.org/work4ncschools/salary/.
How do I learn about non-teaching jobs in North Carolina
Schools?
Please visit www.ncpublicschools.org/work4ncschools/.
Where can I find information about my
retirement?
The State Treasurer's Office oversees the retirement program. Please contact
them directly with any inquiries http://www.nctreasurer.com/dsthome/RetirementSystems.
ACCOUNTABILITY/TESTING
I am a parent and want to learn more about the End-of-Grade
or End-of-Course testing process. Where can I find this information?
Visit http://www.ncpublicschools.org/accountability/parents/ for an overview
of the North Carolina State Testing Program.
SCHOOL RECORDS
Who should I contact for my K-12 or GED transcript or a copy of
my diploma?
The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction does not maintain transcripts
or student records. For General Education Diploma (GED) transcripts or information,
please call the North Carolina Community College System at 919.807.7100 or
you may visit their web site at http://www.ncccs.cc.nc.us/Basic_Skills/ged.htm
For information about K-12 public school records, please contact your school
system directly. Also, please contact the school district if your school has
been closed or consolidated.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
What recognition programs are available for educators and administrators?
Teacher of the Year, Wachovia Principal of the Year and Milken National Educators
programs honor outstanding and exceptional administrators and educators in
our state. To learn more about these programs please visit http://www.ncpublicschools.org/recruitment/recognition/.
Are there standards for professional development?
Yes. There are national standards for professional development and our state
has developed standards (based on the work of national groups such as the
National Staff Development Council) for professional development. For more
answers, see the Professional Development FAQ.
Where can I find conference
info?
Events and conferences that have been submitted for posting are available
on our Web site at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/calendar/.
Where can I get information about online classes?
Please visit http://online.northcarolina.edu/
for schools in the UNC system, or http://www.ncpublicschools.org/work4ncschools/teachereducation/programs/
for a complete list of approved teacher education programs and contact the
individual colleges or universities for their online or distance education
information. Also try your local community college - http://www.ncccs.cc.nc.us/.
STUDENTS
I am a student looking for information about North Carolina for my school
project. Where should I look?
To learn more about our state, visit our Learn About North Carolina page. In addition
to public school history and information about our state government, this
page contains links to several interesting facts about North Carolina.
I'm preparing
for graduation. Where can I go to learn more about selecting a college and
paying for my tuition?
The Graduation and Beyond page provides
useful links to test preparation, programs and assistance for college and
links to higher education.
MISCELLANEOUS
I'm looking for someone in North Carolina Schools. Can you help?
The Education Directory includes the phone number and address of every North
Carolina public, federal or charter school and public school system; the
phone number of every employee of the Department of Public Instruction;
members of
the State Board of Education and the Superintendent; contact information
for educational associations and organizations, advisory councils, educational
material suppliers and sellers; and a list of all the state and territorial
superintendents in the U.S. Please contact the school system for contact
information
for specific teachers or school employees. NC DPI does not maintain student
records, and therefore, we cannot provide you with the contact information
for children or relatives in North Carolina schools.
Is there a federal requirement
on how we should collect data on race and ethnicity?
Two distinct questions with two distinct responses must be used to collect
data about student and staff member race and ethnicity.
The first part should consist of a question about ethnicity:
- Hispanic or Latino
- Not Hispanic or Latino
- American Indian or Alaska Native
- Asian
- Black or African American
- Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
- White