Education

South Carolina students can take online classes offered by the state.  But up until last month, there was a limit to the number.  A new law has lifted that cap, making it easier for students to take classes online that their schools don’t offer. 

Educators are not just required to teach a set curriculum each year – they must create it, develop it and execute it. Staying inspired and innovative can also be a challenge. And in times of radical budget cuts there is a degree of competition among teachers to be successful and keep their job. The Charlotte Teachers Institute is a partnership between CMS, Davidson College and UNC Charlotte that strives to cultivate its fellows into exemplary educators. But who decides which teachers get to participate? What exactly is this program providing that the school district is not? And what are the far-reaching effects on students of having a well-developed teacher instructing them? A conversation about developing great teachers when Charlotte Talks.

Mecklenburg County Commissioners are scheduled to pass a new budget Tuesday. A group of parents has spent the past year pushing for one line in that budget to increase – funding for school nurses.

  Since it can be hard to concentrate on an empty stomach, CMS schools offer breakfast to low-income students.  But district officials worry these kids are skipping breakfast to avoid being labeled “poor.”  To solve that, CMS wants to   provide breakfast to all kids.  The school board voted last night to approve the proposal.

Mooresville’s public schools are used to visitors coming to learn how they blend technology with classes.  That’s because they’ve had a lot of success doing that.  But yesterday they got the ultimate visitor.  President Barack Obama used Mooresville Middle as a backdrop for his plan to provide all public schools across the country with high-speed internet.  

It’s not often a school with a low graduation rate is the source of much pride.  But West Charlotte High School is an exception.  You hear alums call it “the mighty West Charlotte” or say “I am a proud West Charlotte Lion.”  So what is it about this school that prompts such love? 

A lot of it has to do with West Charlotte’s history.  The original school opened in 1938 to an all black student body.  It stayed that way until the 1970s when the school helped put Charlotte in the national spotlight as a city that made busing for integration work.  Now, a new effort called Project LIFT is trying to help the school reclaim that proud legacy.   

Much of a person’s success in life depends on their character. Society is also dependent on the involvement of people of character. But how do you build character in a young person? CMS is partnering with parents and the community to foster honest, responsible, caring students and there are other private organizations working toward the same end. A closer look at the process and at what’s at stake for children, parents and society when Charlotte Talks.

Perhaps you've had a pen pal as a kid. Chances are it was someone who lives far away. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools SchoolMates program has a pen pal program among its own schools. In one case, students from schools less than two miles apart wrote letters to each other throughout the school year. Wednesday, they got to meet each other for the first time.

Boston-based Northeastern University opened its Center City campus in January 2012 with eight masters programs. Now, the University is adding seven masters degrees and two doctoral degrees. The programs were approved two weeks ago by the UNC Board of Governors.

Kids used to go to gym a few times a week, but that’s not the norm anymore.  It varies greatly depending on your district.  Physical education has taken a hit as schools feel greater pressure to boost reading and math scores.  But now PE advocates are making the case that more time in the gym has academic benefits.

Some new kinds of teaching jobs with four CMS schools in west Charlotte have attracted a lot of interest.  The jobs are a blend of mentoring and teaching and they come with a big salary bump. 

A charter school bill that would change the oversight of charter schools in North Carolina has raised a lot of questions and speculation.  The bill would appoint a body independent of the state board of education to decide which schools should open and close.  The bill also includes several other changes like doing away with criminal background checks for charter school employees.