Newly Elected North Carolina Legislators Convene with Resource Experts from Across the Country to Engage in Education Policy Discussions

Cary, NC –North Carolina Representative Craig Horn, in partnership with the Hunt Institute, an affiliate of the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University, is hosting the 2019 Education Policy Retreat on January 14-15, 2019 in Cary, North Carolina. Over the course of the two days, the Retreat will provide opportunities for newly elected legislators to engage in constructive conversations with leading experts and practitioners from across North Carolina and the country, as well as legislative leaders from the North Carolina General Assembly.

[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””] “This is a great opportunity for legislators to hear directly from the experts in research and practice about how we can best serve all students in North Carolina. This Retreat is especially important for our newly elected members,” said Retreat Chair Representative Craig Horn.[/perfectpullquote]

The Retreat will begin Monday evening with a reception and dinner featuring remarks from North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper and former North Carolina Governor James B. Hunt, Jr. to set the stage for Tuesday’s policy discussions. The Retreat will include policy sessions beginning with a discussion on ‘Increasing Quality and Access’ of early childhood learning and continuing through ‘Access to Postsecondary Learning’ in higher education. Sessions will also cover the importance of educators, taking a closer look at North Carolina’s varied paths to teacher preparation, as well as teacher compensation. Legislators will engage in small group discussions on school leadership with superintendent and principal teams from across the state to gain on-the-ground professional perspective regarding the challenges facing districts and schools. 

The Retreat will feature remarks from Senator Deanna Ballard; Representative MaryAnn Black; John Denning, Senior Program Officer, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Representative John Fraley; Senator Valerie Foushee; Representative Rosa Gill; Jack Hoke, Executive Director, North Carolina School Superintendents’ Association; Senator Rick Horner; Dr. Sam Houston, President & CEO, North Carolina Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education Center; Jenni Owen, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Office of Governor Roy Cooper; Molly Osborne, Director of Policy and Engagement, EducationNC; Dr. Don Phipps, Superintendent, Caldwell County Schools; MC Belk Pilon, Board Chair, John M. Belk Endowment; and Meka Sales, Director of Special Initiatives, The Duke Endowment.

Through a series of panel policy discussions and small group conversations, legislators will also hear from a variety of resource experts and education leaders from across the state and country including:

• Fouad Abd-El-Khalick, Dean, School of Education, UNC-Chapel Hill
• Chad Aldeman, Senior Associate Partner, Bellwether Education Partners
• Stephanie Dean, Vice President of Strategic Policy Advising, Public Impact
• Minnie Forte-Brown, Board Member, Durham Public Schools & Interim Board Chair, KIPP ENC
• Rocio Gonzalez, Executive Director, Latin American Chamber of Commerce of Charlotte
• Eric Hall, Deputy State Superintendent of Innovation, NC Department of Public Instruction
• Peter Hans, President, North Carolina Community College System
• Mark Johnson, North Carolina State Superintendent of Public Instruction
• Karla Oakley, Senior Strategist, The New Teacher Project
• Emily Parker, Senior Policy Analyst, Education Commission of the States
• Michael Petrilli, President, The Thomas B. Fordham Institute
• Karen Ponder, Distinguished Fellow, BUILD Initiative
• Emily Schultz, Director of State Advocacy and Policy, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools
• Rachel Schumacher, Senior Advisor, Early Childhood, the Hunt Institute

[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“We are grateful for Representative Horn’s continued support and leadership of our programs,” said Dr. Javaid Siddiqi, President and CEO of the Hunt Institute. “Our goal is to provide policymakers from across North Carolina with the latest information and leading authorities to engage in critical conversations with the hopes of positively impacting public education in our state.”[/perfectpullquote]

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About The Hunt Institute
An affiliate of the Duke University Sanford School of Public Policy, The Hunt Institute is a recognized leader in the movement to transform public education. Marshaling expertise from a nationwide partner network since it was established in 2001, the Institute brings together people and resources that help build and nurture visionary leadership and mobilize strategic action for greater educational outcomes and student success.