NC

In striving to meet North Carolina’s current and future needs in early grades literacy, The North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching has hired Early Grades Literacy Specialist Gin Hodge to support teachers in incorporating early grades literacy learning into their instruction.

NCCAT, a recognized national leader in professional development programming for teachers, responded to an expressed statewide need for professional development in the area of early grades literacy.

CULLOWHEE—The North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT) hosted 41 teachers from across North Carolina for its first “Focus Friday” event on Feb. 23 in Cullowhee. Titled “A Deep Dive Into Dyslexia,” participants were able to deepen their knowledge and expertise as it relates to awareness, instruction and assessment of students exhibiting difficulties in reading consistent with dyslexia.

Discussion for the day centered on the science of reading—why students experience reading difficulty—and the causes and characteristics of dyslexia and reading disabilities.

CULLOWHEE—The statistics are consistent: young male readers lag behind their female counterparts in literacy skills. In many instances, the reading scores of boys bring down the reading scores for the entire school.

Join the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching, a national leader in professional development, for “Reaching Reluctant Readers: Brining Boys to Books” in Cullowhee, Oct. 9–12.

CULLOWHEE—EdCampWNC returned to the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching, a national leader in professional development, for a sixth time Saturday, August 26.

EdCamps, which began in 2010, are not like a traditional conference with a set schedule determined months ahead of the event. This professional development model has an agenda that is created at the start of the event by the participants to fit their needs. Participants are encouraged to attend sessions that are best for them.

Srinivas Pannela of Northwest Halifax High received the Marjorie T. and John S. Britt Honored Educator Scholarship to attend NCCAT this year. We appreciate his words about his time at NCCAT and what he will do with it in his classroom. Thank you to Mr. Pannela for all he does in education!

From Srinivas Pannela

CULLOWHEE—Karen Sumner, Elementary Coordinator for the Western Region Education Service Alliance (WRESA) and veteran educator, has been named Chief Academic Officer at the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching.

Before working with WRESA, Sumner served as a Regional Education Facilitator with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. Karen Sumner served as an Instructional Coach in Henderson County Schools after teaching high school English both there and in New Hanover County.

CULLOWHEE—New Online courses are available starting April 1 from the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching.

NCCAT Online is freely available to all North Carolina licensed educators at no additional cost to you or your district. NCCAT Online Courses are short, self-paced modules where participants can earn 3, 5, or 10 contact hours, depending on the number of assignments participants are asked to complete.

CULLOWHEE—During the program “4C-ing a Better Learning Experience: Technology and Tools To Transform Your Teaching” in Cullowhee Nov. 1–4, a group of North Carolina teachers engaged in professional development designed to make sure technology in the classroom is a powerful tool for students instead of something that happens to them.

CULLOWHEE—More than 100 participants joined the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching, a recognized national leader in professional development programming for North Carolina teachers, for the first NCCAT Curriculum Leaders Conference Sept. 7–9.