1 Presentation to USED Review Panel August 10, 2010 North Carolina Race to the Top Proposal R e d a c t e d

2 The North Carolina Team Beverly Perdue Governor June Atkinson Chairman, State Board of Education Bill Harrison Glenn Kleiman Bill McNeal Executive Director Friday Institute for Educational Innovation and Professor, College of Education, NC State University State Superintendent of Public Instruction Executive Director NC Association of School Administrators

3 Governor Beverly Perdue Education Reform in North Carolina: Action and Achievement North Carolina Race to the Top Proposal “Every student – no matter where he or she lives in NC – must graduate from high school with what it really takes to succeed in a career, in a two or four year college, or in technical training” - Governor Perdue, January 2010

4 A Coherent Plan for Statewide Impact

5 A Great Teacher for Every Student A Great Leader for Every School Performance incentives for lowest-achieving schools Research-supported university preparation programs Research- and data-based recruitment and licensure programs: o Teach for America expansion o NC Teacher Corps o Regional Leadership Academies Strategic staffing initiatives Expansion of virtual and blended teaching Statewide professional development system Successful innovations in identifying, developing, and supporting effective leaders Statewide teacher and principal evaluation systems

6 Common Core Standards adoption Governing member of the SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium Alignment of standards across PK-20 Experience in - and a plan for - successful implementation of comprehensive, balanced assessment system Statewide Standards and Assessments

7 Data-Driven Decisions at All Levels State Longitudinal Data System Instructional Improvement System Centrally-provided, Statewide Technology Infrastructure Statewide Student Information System Increasing use of data for decision-making at all levels:

8 Longitudinal data system Data access for all stakeholders Statewide instructional improvement system o Daily embedded assessments o Diagnostic assessments o Curriculum monitoring o Summative assessments o Growth models Data-Driven Decisions at All Levels

9 Turnaround of Lowest-Achieving Schools A great teacher for every student, a great leader for every school, a great school for every community A focus on local capacity-building Customized approaches to local setting and needs Evidence of prior success in rural and urban settings o 34 schools moved out of low-achieving o 85% of schools in 5 low-achieving districts raised student achievement Other innovative public and charter school models

10 Turnaround of Lowest-Achieving Schools Evidence of prior success in rural and urban settings o 34 schools moved out of low-achieving o 85% of schools in 5 low-achieving districts raised student achievement

11 Building Capacity in Rural Schools By ensuring… Effective teachers and principals Statewide technology infrastructure and resources Virtual learning opportunities for students Engaged communities

12 Innovative, Transformational Schools: An Array of Choices Early College high schools Redesigned schools Charter schools NC School of Science and Mathematics District-level magnet schools STEM-themed high schools

13 Expanding STEM Opportunities Rigorous standards STEM teacher initiatives Virtual and blended STEM courses Networking of STEM-themed high schools Strong support from NC businesses and foundations

14 Enhancing All Initiatives Through Technology Technology to enhance all reform areas Building upon technology-enabled education initiatives Proposed next generation technology infrastructure o PK-20 Education Network o Cloud computing & Statewide Services Initiative

15 Statewide Capacity and Commitment Lessons learned Statewide infrastructure Strong, collaborative leadership Reform & innovation

16 Engagement and Collaboration State and local leadership Professional associations Public and private colleges and universities NC Network of Grantmakers NC education organizations National organizations Parents & communities

17 Why North Carolina? Strong, collaborative leadership Capacity to scale initiatives and ensure statewide implementation Overall capacity to implement and sustain initiatives Building upon lessons from past reform efforts Support from all stakeholders History of implementing reform efforts statewide

18 Why North Carolina? Existing RttT-related programs Ready to move forward quickly Ensures reliable statewide access at a lower cost Model for other states Unparalleled technology infrastructure Diverse rural and urban population, innovative schools, technology use, STEM focus

19 A Coherent Plan for Statewide Impact Great Teachers & Principals Turnaround of Lowest-Achieving Schools Data Systems to Improve Instruction Build District & School Transformation Capacity Support STEM Thematic Schools Network Adopt Common Core Standards Transition to New Standards and Assessments Enhance Statewide Longitudinal Data System Develop Statewide Instructional Improvement System Improve Teacher and Principal Evaluation Processes Institute Regional Leadership Academies Expand Teacher Recruitment and Licensure Programs Initiate Strategic Staffing Deliver Virtual & Blended Classes Initiate Statewide Professional Development Quality Standards and Assessment