The Smoky Mountain News recently featured NCCAT: "Dr. Richard Thompson is breathing a bit easier this semester. He’s not worrying about funding. Not wondering if the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching will slip into the abyss. It was a breath-holding summer for Thompson and his staff in Cullowhee. But since the General Assembly decided during its short session to include money in the state budget to continue funding the teaching center, its executive director is all smiles. “We’re really excited about that,” Thompson said.

Greetings from NCCAT! I wanted to let you know about some current NCCAT efforts and what is ahead.

First, we are extremely thankful for your support and the General Assembly action to return NCCAT to recurring status in the state budget. It is a vital step in NCCAT moving forward and continuing to provide high-quality professional development for the teachers of North Carolina.

NCCAT is proud to announce another option for teachers who are seeking new skills and understanding. As an extension of our face-to-face programming and our current focus on Digital Learning and Early Grades Literacy, NCCAT will be rolling out a series of self-contained mini-courses that are designed to be immediately helpful for teachers who are seeking new knowledge. These courses will be hosted on the NCCAT Online Learning Portal and are open to any North Carolina public or public charter school teachers at no cost to you or your school.

This program offers educators the remarkable opportunity to meet in a residential setting devoid of distraction to create and advance departmental, school, and district-wide projects. These projects might consist of new programming, research, planning, or curricula. Teachers, administrators, central office personnel, or district coordinators are encouraged to form a team. Contact us today to find out more.

Upcoming Research and Development Teams Offerings

We're excited about a new way to connect with teachers that started this week in NCCAT in Cullowhee. At NCCAT we know that the beginning of the year is one of the worst times to be out of your classroom for an entire week. Yet this is also the best time to implement new instructional and managerial strategies. In an effort to provide just-in-time professional development opportunities that create minimal scheduling stress for as many teachers as possible, we are offering a complement of one-day sessions:

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction will sponsor the fifth annual Collaborative Conference for Student Achievement (CCSA) on March 30-April 1, 2015 in Greensboro. The CCSA reflects the Agency’s efforts to accommodate some of the economic challenges experienced by schools and communities by providing a multi-faceted professional development opportunity for educators and education stakeholders. This conference is designed to consolidate several conferences into one by merging the Accountability, Safe Schools, and Raising Achievement and Closing Gaps conferences.

NCCAT will be hosting "Legal Information for Teachers" Sept. 19-21 in Cullowhee. The conference will examine law that supports and protects students and teachers, and explore avenues for avoiding and resolves conflict between teachers, parents, students, administrators, and school staff. Administrators are welcome and encouraged to apply and to bring a team from their school(s).

Topic will include:

Ethics, Morals and Laws

Teacher Employment Issues

Cyberlaw/Cloud Computing/Cell Phones

Teacher Ethics

Technology and Social Media

By Ernest H. Johnson, Ph.D.