NCDPI celebrates National School Choice Week with focus on public school ‘choice’

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction chose to celebrate National School Choice Week by focusing on traditional public and charter schools during a press event Jan. 28.

Superintendent of public instruction Mo Green used the event to announce the launch of “Find Your Fit, Build Your Future,” a six-week initiative built around sharing information on the “remarkable range of choices available to families within North Carolina’s public school system.”

That focus comes during a time when enrollment in traditional public schools has been on the decline since the COVID-19 pandemic, as more families choose alternatives. Public school enrollments have dropped to around 80%, while enrollments in public charters, in the private-school-choice Opportunity Scholarship Program, and in homeschools have surged.

National School Choice Week runs Jan. 25-31 and is designed to highlight the variety of educational options available to parents.

“I do want to spend just a moment to be sure that we thank the vast majority of families who are already choosing our public schools and our educators who are making our schools such enriching experiences for all of our students,” said Green, who pointed to public school options, like the state’s 229 magnet schools, 138 early college high schools, career and technical education pathways, gifted programs, and virtual learning opportunities.

“When some families think about school choice, they often don’t realize just how good our schools are and how many choices are available that already exist in our public education system,” he added.

Green said that he expected the decline in traditional public school enrollments to ease in the future, and he pointed to funding as the key catalyst. 

“It’s certainly a critical part of being sure that we have wonderful opportunities to offer to families, and certainty a recognition that the General Assembly has a critical part to play in that,” he said.

Asked about open enrollment policies — which allow students to change public schools within the same district if the new school is a better fit — as one option to expand choice in public schools, Green urged a cautious approach and said that the existing structure of district schools offer ample opportunities.

Ashley Logue, executive director of the Office of Charter Schools, also spoke during the press conference.

“Not every child thrives in the same exact environment, and charter schools give families the ability to find the right match for their student, whether that’s a different teaching approach, a focus on their passion, or a program that prepares them for their specific future goals,” Logue said.

More than 150,000 students are enrolled in public charter schools, with a waitlist of nearly 75,000 students.

The event additionally focused on classroom-to-career pathways in state high schools and community colleges. Sneha Shah-Coltrane, senior director of advanced learning and gifted education at NCDPI, pointed to the state’s early college high schools as an example — which allow students to earn a high-school diploma and two-year associate’s degree at an accelerated pace.

“These schools offer an opportunity for students to be fully immersed in the college experience, whether they be at a community college or at one of our four year universities and colleges across our state,” Shah-Coltrane said.

And Trey Michael, senior director of career and technical education at NCDPI, highlighted career and technical education programs. 

“I like to think of CTE as the best place to apply academics,” he said. “We focus on engaging and motivating students through active participation in their own learning and skill development.”

“NCDPI celebrates National School Choice Week with focus on public school ‘choice’” was originally published on www.carolinajournal.com.