State Board of Education weighs $25M grant for rural middle school math

The North Carolina State Board of Education will vote Thursday on whether to accept a $25 million grant designed to help rural middle schools improve math instruction.

The Rocky Mount-based Golden LEAF Foundation grant would help 20 lower-income schools through 2030.

It would be for things like coaching for teachers, new curriculum, tutoring, career development for students and bonuses for principals who meet certain metrics.

The state Department of Public Instruction, under previous superintendent Catherine Truitt, applied for the grant — one of a handful fo grants Truitt’s department applied for and received to improve middle school math. Last fall, department leaders said the state should be doing more to help middle school students perform better on standardized tests, in both math and reading.

The state has hundreds of middle schools, but just 20 will be able to participate. Eligible middle schools can apply by March 21 at 5 p.m. to be considered for the new program.

The State Board of Education must officially approve acceptance of the grant, but board members largely expressed support for the proposed program when it was presented to them during their Wednesday meeting.

While Truitt began the initiative, Superintendent Mo Green will oversee its rollout. He said Wednesday that it aligns with his vision to make sure all North Carolina students have access to an excellent education.

“In order for North Carolina’s public schools to become the best in the country, we must rethink how we approach teaching and learning, and we must provide our schools with the appropriate support to do so,” Green said in a prepared statement.