Friday Institute

Aug 14, 2018

Learning to Address Global Issues Through International Collaboration and Inquiry

NC State Education faculty and staff traveled with 15 Wake STEM Early College High School students to China for the first PBI-Global Student Summit this past spring. The summit provided a venue for students from North Carolina to collaborate with 20 students at the Suzhou North America High School to create solutions for world problems.

A photo of Dr. Hiller Spires and Kenyan educators at computers

Aug 2, 2018

Improving Education in Kenya through the New Literacies Teacher Leader Institute

Three NC State College of Education faculty members traveled to Kitale in June to equip Kenyan educators with resources, digital literacy strategies and inquiry-based practices to use in their classrooms.

Jun 5, 2018

WUNC: Researchers Say N.C. Voucher Program Needs Closer Look Than They Can Give

Researchers at the NC State College of Education and the Friday Institute this week released the results of an unpublished evaluation of the Opportunity Scholarship, a state-funded voucher that helps low-income students attend private schools. The research came out with positive results for the voucher recipients who participated in the study – but the authors say those results come with many caveats.

Jun 5, 2018

Working Paper Offers Initial Data on Academic Impact of N.C. School Vouchers

A new working paper that compares scores of a small volunteer group of public and private school students on the same standardized test found positive effects for voucher recipients, particularly first-year participants in the North Carolina Opportunity Scholarship Program; but authors Anna Egalite, Trip Stallings and Stephen Porter caution against reading too much into the results.

Jun 4, 2018

WRAL: School Voucher Study Shows Positive But Questionable Results

Three researchers in the NC State College of Education released a working paper on the impact of North Carolina's Opportunity Scholarship Program. "From a policy perspective, the biggest takeaway from this paper is just how many limitations there are to conducting a high-quality evaluation of the program's academic impact, given current statutes," said Assistant Professor Anna Egalite.

Jun 4, 2018

The Charlotte Observer: Good Test Scores But Too Much Bible: Two Views from Research on N.C. School Vouchers

The study, released by NC State Education Assistant Professor Anna Egalite, Professor Stephen Porter and Director of Policy Research Trip Stallings, found that students getting Opportunity Scholarships showed a "positive, large and statistically significant" edge on the exams, based on about 500 public and private school students who voluntarily took the same nationally-normed exam.

May 2, 2018

Hiller Spires Named Interim Director of the William and Ida Friday Institute for Educational Innovation

Hiller A. Spires will be the Interim Director for the NC State College of Education’s William and Ida Friday Institute for Educational Innovation effective Aug. 1, 2018, until a permanent director is appointed. Spires, who is a professor of literacy education in the Department of Teacher Education and Learning Sciences, served as the founding director of the Friday Institute from 2002 to 2006, and currently is a senior research fellow of the institute.

Feb 1, 2018

Registration Open for Friday Institute’s Free Online Professional Development Courses for Educators

Registration has opened for six free online professional development courses for educators that the NC State College of Education's Friday Institution for Educational Innovation is offering this spring. Courses cover the content spectrum, from digital-age problem solving to reading foundations. Though the courses will begin Feb. 5, enrollment is ongoing

Nov 20, 2017

7 Superintendents of Rural School Districts in North Carolina Receive 2017 Friday Medal

Seven superintendents of rural school districts in North Carolina received the 2017 Friday Medals in recognition their strong, innovative leadership that includes documented results in improving students' learning and implementing digital-age approaches to teaching and learning. Among the recipients are two alumni and a teaching assistant professor at the NC State College of Education.

Jun 1, 2017