Lesley Wirt

May 27, 2025

SUPR Schools Interdisciplinary Hub Identifying Factors that Help Schools Defy Odds for Reading Achievement

Years of research have shown that there is a high correlation between reading achievement and socioeconomic status, which means that many children who attend high-poverty schools throughout North Carolina are not learning to read proficiently. The members of the Systems for Un-correlating Poverty and Reading (SUPR) in North Carolina Schools interdisciplinary hub have spent the past year examining schools that defy this trend.

Jan 28, 2025

NC State Educational Leadership Academy (NELA) Receives $14.4M From North Carolina Principal Fellows Commission to Sustain Program through 2032

For the past 14 years, the NC State College of Education’s nationally recognized NC State Educational Leadership Academy (NELA) has been preparing some of the most effective school leaders in North Carolina. Now, that work is set to continue through 2032 thanks to more than $14 million in funding from the North Carolina Principal Fellows Commission.

Oct 19, 2022

‘ I Knew They Did Things Differently:’ NC State Educational Leadership Academy Helps Educators Become Strong School Administrators

Graduates of the NC State Educational Leadership Academy (NELA) reflect on how the program prepared them to be an effective administrator, the lessons they still draw on in their roles and how they continue to support one another after graduation.

Oct 20, 2021

$4.5 Million Grant Will Help College of Education’s Innovative, Award-winning Principal Preparation Program Prepare More School Leaders

The NC State College of Education will be able to continue preparing future school leaders for high-needs schools through $4.5 million in funding for its innovative principal preparation program through the NC Principal Fellows Program.

Jun 7, 2021

Education Week: How the Pandemic Is Already Changing Principal-Prep Programs

Lesley Wirt, Ph.D., the associate director of principal preparation in the NC State College of Education, discusses how the Master of School Administration is able to be diverse and affordable to participants. 

Mar 26, 2020

$3.75M Grant Will Help Train New Cohorts of School Leaders Through Innovative Principal Preparation Program

The NC State College of Education is one of only five universities in the nation whose principal preparation program is recognized as exemplary by the University Council for Educational Administration. A $3.75 million grant will allow the college to prepare two new cohorts of school leaders through this innovative program.

Mar 25, 2020

NC State College of Education Awarded $13.2M in Research Funding January-March 2020

Faculty and researchers at the NC State College of Education, including the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation, were awarded $13,260,745 to support 10 projects from Jan. 24 through March 24, 2020.