The purpose of this companion, qualitative case study was to examine the degree to which the residential professional development model at the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT) possibly influenced the retention of experienced teachers. The researcher sought to discover the ways and to what degree NCCAT had discharged…

An Investigation of the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching and its Influence on Beginning Teacher Retention: A Companion Dissertation. Shook, Anna, 2015. Dissertation, Gardner-Webb University, Adult Learning Theory/Adult Developmental Theory/Professional Development/Beginning Teacher/North Carolina Center for the Advancement of…

In 2015 WakeEd Partnership and Wake County Public School System (WCPSS), North Carolina's largest school system, designed an engaging, results-oriented professional development opportunity for elementary and secondary educators -- SummerSTEM. SummerSTEM is a hands-on professional development experience that addresses the needs of educators --…

This study provides a mixed-methods case-study design evaluation of the Leadership in Blended Learning (LBL) program. The LBL program uses blended approaches, including face-to-face and online, to prepare school leaders to implement blended learning initiatives in their schools. This evaluation found that the program designers effectively…

The focus of practice for the study was to build and sustain a cohesive and consistent instructional leadership team by supporting the growth and development of assistant principals as instructional leaders. This study took place in a mid-sized, high school setting in rural Eastern North Carolina. The study aimed to develop assistant principals'…

The instructional innovation incubator (i3) model is a fully immersive, multi-campus, residential experience designed to address the wicked problem of online teaching and learning. This paper details how we used design thinking to hatch, design, prototype and implement the i3 model, a radical departure from conventional practice in educational…

The effectiveness of teacher professional development (PD) has been scrutinized for decades. Although scholars generally agree that collaboration is a critical component of sustainable PD, among schools in the United States, time for collaboration embedded within the school day is lacking. In the most recent era of social media, school districts…

This pamphlet brings together information about the service-learning model, offers sequential steps that colleges and universities can take to implement or expand public-need-based learning, and itemizes some tools for program management. Steps to develop a public-need-based-service learning program consider the development of conceptual clarity,…

Early college (EC) is a novel educational model in the US that combines high school and college in an effort to increase underrepresented students' access to higher education by providing engaging, hands-on instruction in a supportive learning environment. For this phenomenological inquiry, we sought to understand the role of care-based relating…

This study is a mixed-methods program evaluation of an agricultural literacy innovation in a local school district in rural eastern North Carolina. This evaluation describes the use of a theory-based framework, the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM), in accordance with Stufflebeam's Context, Input, Process, Product (CIPP) model by evaluating the…

Using the Social Presence Model (SPM), the authors explore the teacher and student experience at the North Carolina Virtual Public School (NCVPS), the largest public online secondary school where teachers design and develop the curriculum. Through a series of surveys, focus groups, and interviews, this two-year mixed methods study investigates the…

This resource was prepared in response to a request for information from a Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) State about which RTT-ELC States are using the Pyramid Model for Supporting Social Emotional Competence in Infants and Young Children. The State also requested information about other projects States have designed to…

Preschool and kindergarten teachers have the responsibility of supporting children as they learn and develop. This guide is designed to help North Carolina preschool and kindergarten teachers and administrators establish and maintain high quality programs, frame the broad issues regarding early childhood curriculum and instruction, describe major…

Using a perspective analysis of curriculum design, we advance the conversation on ways underrepresented and underserved communities can rethink educational design. From an original educational model, we interrupt traditional pedagogy to grow effective community leaders. In this paper, we blend Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Arts, and…

An exploratory quantitative study of professional learning communities and student achievement in the largest school system in the State of North Carolina provides evidence to support systemic implementation of professional learning community practices and activities. A one-way ANOVA was conducted to explore the impact of teachers' perceptions of…