Friday Institute

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

Friday Institute Names 7 Superintendents 2017 Friday Medalists

The Friday Institute will present the 2017 Friday Medals to seven superintendents of rural school districts in North Carolina who have improved student learning and implemented digital-age approaches to teaching and learning. 

Sep 19, 2016

Promoting Inquiry-Based Learning on a Global Scale

Hiller Spires, professor in the Teacher Education and Learning Sciences Department, discusses inquiry-based learning and the 2016 New Literacies Teacher Leader Institute. 

Aug 9, 2016

Where Math and Technology Meet

Equipping teachers with the right classroom tools goes a long way in helping students succeed in mathematics. For more than a decade, Preparing to Teach Mathematics with Technology (PTMT) has helped teachers integrate the latest technology in their lessons to better engage students.