Campuses are quieter now that classes are out for summer break and graduation season has come and gone. Many teachers and staffers in are looking forward to relaxing and celebrating their collective achievements, one of which being that the district has seen a large growth in dual college enrollment over the past few years.

From the 2021-22 school year to the 2023-24 school year, the number of students in dual enrollment classes increased by 25% in Guilford County, according to data from the district. Dual enrollment is a term used to describe students who are enrolled in college classes while in high school, through North Carolina鈥檚 (CCP) program. Through CCP, high school students can take college level classes for free and earn credit towards a postsecondary degree, career certification, or diploma.

Earning college credits for free through CCP can save families money and help with the future cost of college tuition. It鈥檚 estimated that the credits earned by students through dual enrollment saved families more than $2 million dollars during the 2023-24 school year, according to Dr. Whitney Oakley, superintendent of Guilford County Schools.

With those college credits, many students are able to enter college with up to one year鈥檚 worth of credits completed for free. Other students may use those credits to earn an associate degree, in addition to their high school diploma, also for free.

鈥淎fter they graduated, if they were actually paying tuition like at UNC-Chapel Hill, it鈥檚 $292.46 per credit hour, at GTCC it鈥檚 $76 per credit hour,鈥� Oakley said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e thinking when we add up what kids have had access to this year, it鈥檚 $2,285,472 that families in GCS say that they otherwise would be paying for if students were not still in K-12.鈥�

Cost savings and more

The price of postsecondary education is not a new topic of discussion. People have debated the of higher education for decades. Even so, there are always new factors to incorporate into the conversation. One timely factor is the by the U.S. Department of Education in May 2025, which marks the first time the department has done so since before the loan repayments were paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic back in March 2020.

Dual enrollment programs like early colleges and North Carolina鈥檚 CCP program can help mitigate the overall cost of college by allowing high school students the opportunity to earn college credit for free. This is a win-win situation for both students and the workforce because it allows students to earn those credits for free and gain exposure to different workforce pathways through their classes, with the hope of helping them find their desired career earlier.

鈥淭o me it solves a much larger problem if we can get it right and aligned with workforce development needs,鈥� Oakley said. 鈥淚f more students are leaving with their associate degree, or an industry credential and going into these high-wage, high-demand careers, we as K-12 are solving this talent pipeline shortage that we鈥檙e facing across the state.鈥�

District leadership has worked closely with (GTCC) to be intentional about how they market the CCP program to students, families, and schools.

鈥淔or the last couple of years, enrollment has been steadily climbing in CCP or dual enrollment,鈥� said Wish Bailey, the assistant director of admissions and K-12 partnerships at GTCC. 鈥淎nd I think a large part of that is attributed to this desire for students to accumulate as many credits as they can because it looks really good when they decide to transfer, but also trying to figure out what they want to pursue when they graduate from high school.鈥�

District and college leaders also want to make sure people understand that these CCP courses count for the same amount of credit as other college preparatory courses, like the Advanced Placement (AP) program and the International Baccalaureate (IB) program.

鈥淭he weighting is the same and the rigor is the same. It鈥檚 accepted by UNC-Chapel Hill. It鈥檚 accepted by NC State. It鈥檚 accepted by App State,鈥� said Dr. Anthony Clarke, president of GTCC. 鈥溾�嬧�婭t鈥檚 a great savings for parents and for students to earn college credit鈥 think part of our growth is parents and students figuring that out and seeing that it saves them money.鈥�

Maintaining growth

The growth that GCS and GTCC have seen in their CCP program is not accidental, leaders say. Both the school system and college have been putting a lot of effort and energy into their partnership and marketing to the greater community.

鈥淲e鈥檝e been working really hard on the partnerships with Guilford County Schools, making sure that the counselors, as well as the parents and the students, really understand what鈥檚 being offered and making it really easy for them to enroll,鈥� said Ann Proudfit, the vice president for student services at GTCC.

Bailey, who helps lead the implementation of K-12 partnerships for GTCC, has hosted several informational sessions about the CCP program and been intentional about reaching out to different stakeholders in the community 鈥� students, teachers, parents, counselors, and more.

鈥淚 also think the department鈥檚 outreach, by going to high schools and talking to counselors more and talking to families more about the program and the benefits of the program, (is) really just letting students know that they have this as an option,鈥� Bailey said.

She believes that the relationships she cultivates partnered with focused outreach have resulted in more students gaining awareness of the CCP program. It鈥檚 that knowledge of possibility that has grown and continues to grow enrollment in the CCP program.

鈥淭he more that people have knowledge of the program, the more that will grow enrollment, because everyone is aware of the opportunities that are really close by,鈥� Bailey said. 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 a big part of it.鈥�

This first appeared on and is republished here under a .

Historic Foust Elementary School has had a game changing start to the year. School and district leaders, parents, and community members were eager to get inside one of Greensboro鈥檚 newest elementary schools for their ribbon cutting ceremony on Feb. 3, 2025 to witness an innovative progression in the school鈥檚 history. They were greeted by students and the school鈥檚 robotic dog, Astro.

Foust Elementary School, part of (GCS), is the country鈥檚 first public gaming and robotics elementary school, according to the district. The school still sits on its original land, but the building has been rebuilt from the ground up. They began welcoming students into the new building at the start of 2025.

Foust Elementary School鈥檚 history goes all the way back to the 1960s. Foust student Nyla Parker read the following account at the ribbon cutting ceremony:

鈥淪ince its construction in 1965, Julius I Foust Elementary School has prided itself in serving the students and families of its community, with the goal of creating citizens who will leave this place with high character and academic excellence. 鈥� Now, almost 60 years later, we welcome you to the new chapter of Foust Gaming and Robotics Elementary School. As a student here at Foust, I am excited about various opportunities that will be offered to me as I learn more about exciting industries such as gaming, robotics, coding, and 2D plus 3D animation. Thank you to the voters of our community for saying yes to the 2020 bond that allowed this place to become a reality for me and my fellow classmates. Game on!鈥�

Foust is a Title I school in a historically underinvested part of Guilford County. Several years ago, the district conducted a master facility study, which resulted in Foust getting on the list to receive an entirely new building.

鈥淔oust was one of the oldest buildings in the district and it was literally falling apart, so we were on the list to have a total new construction,鈥� said Kendrick Alston, principal of Foust.

鈥淒uring that time, we also talked with the district and really thought about, well, building a new school. What can we also do differently in terms of teaching and learning, instead of just building a new building?鈥�

The mission of Foust is to 鈥渆nvision a future where students are equipped with the skills, knowledge, and tools to lead the new global economy,鈥� according to . The new global economy, featuring high projected growth in , was a driving factor for planners as they decided to focus the school on gaming and robotics.

There are many jobs that can come from learning the skills necessary to build video games and robots. Looking at recent labor market trends, many of those jobs are growing. Web developers and digital designers have an 8% projected growth rate from 2023-2033 with a median pay of $92,750 per year, according to the .

鈥淲e looked at a lot of studies, we looked at research, and one of the things that we looked at was something from the World Economic Forum that looked at the annual jobs report. We saw that STEM, engineering, those kinds of jobs, were some of the top fastest growing jobs across the world,鈥� said Alston. 鈥淲hen we think about school looking different for our students and being engaging, well, let鈥檚 make it something that鈥檚 relevant to them but is also giving them a skill set that they can be marketable in the global workforce as well.鈥�

The team at Foust, including teachers and staff, have spent several months in specialized training on a new and unique curriculum designed to help prepare students for the ever evolving world of work. The building, designed to bring 21st century learning to life, is part of the first phase of schools constructed from .

鈥淚 am excited for what this new space is going to produce,鈥� said Hope Purcell, a teacher at Foust. 鈥淲ith the continued support from our robotics curriculum, students will have the opportunity to tap into a new world of discovery that will prepare them for the future.鈥�

Many community and education leaders were present at the ribbon cutting, including several county commissioners and Guilford superintendent Whitney Oakley. Oakley shared excitement about the new school and reminded everyone that the leaders who came before her who advocated for the passing of the bond and were open to the vision of a school like Foust were a huge part of making this new school a reality.

鈥淭oday is not just about celebrating a building,鈥� Oakley said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about celebrating what this building really represents, and that鈥檚 opportunity and access to the tools of modern K-12 education. It represents the culmination of years of planning and conversation and design to make sure that we can build a space that serves families and students for decades to come. The joy on the faces of the staff and the families and the students is just a reminder that teaching and learning is more effective when everybody has the resources that they need to thrive, and that should not be the exception, that should be the rule.鈥�

Students sometimes need different levels of support and resources in order to thrive. Foust hopes to be a place where all students can succeed. Another school district in New Jersey, the , is using gaming and technology to engage students with cognitive and behavioral differences. They have designed specifically for students with cognitive challenges, like Autism Spectrum Disorder. This is just one example of how gaming can create an inclusive learning environment.

As Foust settles into its brand new building, they are already planning for new opportunities ahead, including partnerships with the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University for innovative programming for students and parents.

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Unfortunately, most American high school students, on both college and career pathways, are not receiving an education that delivers high-quality preparation for either path after graduation, and work-based learning in particular isn鈥檛 making the grade. Multiple surveys in recent years show that a large majority of and believe there is a significant gap between the skills they need and those that workers possess. 

In our own state of North Carolina, we see the business impact of the choices made in the state鈥檚 education system. Once tops in the nation for business, North Carolina was recently dethroned by its neighbor to the north, Virginia. Experts and media outlets point to Virginia鈥檚 as making the difference.

It鈥檚 past time to address this challenge, provide students with real entry to high-quality careers and give them meaningful opportunities for financial security through collaboration between education and business leaders, both in the Tarheel State and nationwide.

In Guilford County, North Carolina, future-focused partnerships between local industry and public schools are pushing in that direction, getting more students into career pathways in high-demand fields. The effort is offering young people a chance to gain the qualifications they need to successfully participate in the growing number of careers that require expertise in areas such as advanced manufacturing, cloud computing and AI, and logistics, both locally and nationally.  

In 2018, Guilford County Schools and local employers convened a blue-ribbon task force that included representatives of industry, nonprofits and colleges to identify the high-growth sectors for our region. Through a comprehensive local employment and skills needs assessment, this coalition created a vision and game plan for career-connected education. 

Today, six Signature Career Academies offer that equip students with skills and in artificial intelligence, robotics, advanced manufacturing, cybersecurity, biotechnology, global logistics and supply chain management, and more. 

The experiences students have in the classroom, the technology and tools they use and the on-the-job training aspects of the curriculum are shaped by input from local employers and practitioners in the field. Many students earn wages while they learn 鈥� and certain pathways provide full benefits as students spend three days on the job and two days in traditional classes. They graduate with highly desired credentials and qualifications, debt-free, ready to step into good-paying careers or further education. 

Career exposure experiences start early for the district’s students, in upper elementary and middle school. Through a range of virtual 鈥淕et Into Industry鈥� tours; workforce symposia; AI skill simulators; and industry-specific computer applications that let students practice what they would do on the job, young people can see and feel what it means to work in a particular field. The objective is to spark curiosity that can uncover personal passions and, ultimately, career aspirations. And if students change their minds, there are multiple ways throughout high school for them to switch programs, try another industry or field and get into a new pathway.

More than 300 experienced instructors lead students through structured programs that mix classroom, virtual and on-the-job learning. To stay up to date on the latest advances and practices in their industry, instructors spend time during the summer in the field, bringing new knowledge and expertise back to their students and ensuring that programming stays current.

The results speak for themselves. In 2020-21, amid the pandemic, Guilford County students earned 2,966 industry-recognized credentials. The following school year, that number jumped to 7,118. This past school year, students earned 10,766 credentials, a more than threefold increase.  

In a moment when communities nationwide are struggling with chronic absenteeism and is markedly lower than that of , enabling young people to pursue fields and pathways of their choice makes education more relevant and, therefore, more engaging. that because of its relevance and engagement, high-quality career and technical education 鈥� like that in our Signature Career Academies 鈥� improves attendance and student outcomes. It also produces higher graduation rates. This past school year, the district’s four-year graduation rate hit an all-time high of 92.2%.

Our high-quality credentialing offers district students evidence of skill attainment while providing a powerful signal to employers 鈥� as well as those considering moving to the area 鈥� that the region is positioned to have a skilled workforce that endures, and a local economic base that is resilient and future-focused. 

When young people have access to high-quality, career-connected learning, .

A quarter of the way into the 21st century, and more than 40 years after warnings of A Nation at Risk, business and education leaders can help make learning relevant and engaging for students by working together, in ways both big and small. Doing so is not simply an investment in our students 鈥� it鈥檚 an investment in the future of America’s neighborhoods, towns, cities, states and the entire nation. 

She鈥檚 been homeschooling her children for over a decade, participated in the 鈥淪top the Steal鈥� rally that preceded the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the , and has used choice words like 鈥渋ndoctrination centers鈥� to describe public schools. And then there鈥檚 the 2020 tweet she said the media won鈥檛 let her forget 鈥� the one in which she called for a of former President Barack Obama. 

In an interview with 麻豆精品, Morrow, who has about her past tweets, downplayed the comments. 鈥淒id I say things in jest? Absolutely,鈥� she said. The former nurse unexpectedly ousted Republican incumbent Catherine Truitt in the primary and now faces Maurice 鈥淢o鈥� Green, a former district superintendent, in the general election. She brushes off her as just 鈥渁 political thing.鈥� 

鈥淭hat’s between adults,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat’s not what I think should be happening in our classrooms.鈥�

Morrow isn鈥檛 the only Jan. 6 participant vying for office this November. for a , and an of the rally is running for the Texas House. But if elected, Morrow would become the only protester responsible for more than 2,700 schools and a $13 billion education budget.

She counts her nine years teaching science and Spanish for a homeschool co-op as her primary qualification for the job and said that after six years talking to parents and educators, she has a 鈥渃lear understanding鈥� of what voters are looking for in a state schools chief, starting with a strong focus on academics and character development. Green, meanwhile, is trumpeting his experience leading an education agency and advocating for increased education funding at a time when Republican lawmakers are . 

In interviews, Morrow espouses policies 鈥� like a scientific approach to and in math 鈥� that could bridge the partisan divide in a state with a Democratic governor and Republican-controlled House and Senate. But her past actions and occasionally extreme language are alienating would-be allies.

鈥淚’m fearful of the rhetoric,鈥� said Marcus Brandon, who leads CarolinaCAN, part of a network of policy and advocacy groups that support school choice. He pushed for expansion of the state鈥檚 voucher program, and said while Morrow is 鈥済ood for my issue on paper,鈥� he thinks Green is more qualified. A former lawyer, Green led the Guilford County Schools, which includes Greensboro, for seven years.

鈥淲e need a strong public school system,鈥� Brandon said. 鈥淪eventy-five percent of our kids are going to go there.鈥� 

Following her surprise victory in the March primary, Morrow鈥檚 campaign attracted a from North Carolina鈥檚 business community. But she lags behind Green in fundraising. At the Green had over $578,000 on hand to Morrow鈥檚 $50,600. 

Whoever wins faces a system with critical challenges, like record-setting and flat funding. According to the Education Law Center鈥檚 most recent , North Carolina ranks 48th in per-student funding, almost $5,000 below the national average of $16,131. Morrow argues there鈥檚 already plenty of money for education and districts just need to 鈥渢riage.鈥� 

鈥淲e need someone who can lead us in a way that prioritizes students,鈥� said Lauren Fox, senior director of policy and research at the Public School Forum of North Carolina, a think tank that supports public schools. She hopes the next superintendent will continue Truitt鈥檚 practice of appointing a at a time when teachers currently feel 鈥� and that their voices aren’t being heard.鈥� 

Green agrees and often the public that Morrow, during some of her Facebook live posts early in the pandemic, used words like 鈥渃esspool of evil and lies鈥� to describe public schools. Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, the Republican candidate for governor, has made similar disparaging remarks, calling teachers 鈥渨icked people鈥� in last year. 

鈥淥ur educators are being disrespected,鈥� Green told 麻豆精品. The state ranks 42nd in starting teacher pay, according to the latest National Education Association . 鈥淚t鈥檚 especially challenging to bring folks into this really important profession when you’re not paying them well enough.鈥� 

During his tenure, from 2008 to 2015, Guilford saw graduation rates climb nearly 10 percentage points to over 89% and rising scores on college entrance exam. 

Recruited to run by outgoing Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, Green said he鈥檚 better positioned to press for state spending increases while helping districts adjust to tighter budgets as federal relief funds dry up. He took over the Guilford district at the start of the Great Recession and said one of his first tasks was to return money to the state so officials could balance the budget.

After leaving Guilford, Green led the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, a philanthropy that funds of education, social and environmental causes. In Guilford, he supported charter schools and encouraged choice within the district. But he said, 鈥淲e can’t have great choices in our public schools when you don’t provide even close to adequate resources for them.鈥�

His point in a state where a group of poor districts sued in 1994 to get enough funding to provide students with a basic education. The foundation he led funded efforts to determine how much the state should provide for programs like pre-K and teacher preparation. The conservative state Supreme Court, however, is now deciding whether to overturn a 2022 opinion directing North Carolina to spend $800 million to improve education in the poorest parts of the state.

Green called the foundation 鈥渁n organization that certainly tries to lift up marginalized communities.鈥� 

But Morrow has seized on Green鈥檚 ties to the association to label him and extremist. She points to the organization鈥檚 financing of who push for reducing the presence of school resource officers to curb the school-to-prison pipeline.

She said she鈥檚 watching out for teachers by making student discipline the centerpiece of her platform. She cited showing almost 1,500 assaults by students on public school employees during the 2022-23 school year and attended a recent in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, to address school safety. 

Morrow thinks she鈥檚 been by educators in the public system and insists she only decided to homeschool when her oldest daughter, who had learning disabilities, wasn鈥檛 making progress. 

鈥淪he was having math tutoring every day, and she still wasn’t learning math facts,鈥� she said. 

She eventually homeschooled her other four children, but stressed that she doesn鈥檛 think all public schools are bad. As an example, she pointed to her local Wake County district鈥檚 . 

鈥淭his whole idea that because your children are not in public school, that means you hate public school 鈥� nothing could be further from the truth,鈥� she said.

Morrow described any past online vitriol as 鈥渞hetorical hyperbole鈥� that wasn鈥檛 鈥渂othering anybody鈥� until the media focused on it.

But at a June conservative gathering called America Day, south of Greensboro, some of had a familiar ring. 

鈥淭he greatest threat to the constitutional Republic that we call home is the indoctrination happening in our public school system today,鈥� she said. In other interviews, she has voiced to discussions of race and gender in the classroom.

Morrow said she holds a monthly Zoom meeting with teachers, but has twice to share the stage with her Democratic opponent. 

鈥淪he is running for office by running against the current system,鈥� said Christopher Cooper, a political science professor at Western Carolina University. If Green wants to draw the spotlight away from her, Cooper said he must 鈥渞aise the salience鈥� of the office.

鈥淭he superintendent of public instruction is not, in normal circumstances, an office that voters know a lot about,鈥� he said. And most statewide races 鈥渄o not draw attention outside of the borders of North Carolina,鈥� making this chief鈥檚 race unique. 

But ultimately, the outcome in a purple state will likely rest not on either candidate鈥檚 platform, he said, but on whether Robinson, the GOP candidate for governor, and former President Donald Trump prevail on election night.

鈥淚f Morrow does win,鈥� he said, 鈥渋t will likely be on the backs of a larger number of Republican wins in North Carolina.鈥�

When Lindsey Prather was a teacher in Buncombe County Schools, she saw dozens of flags hanging around one of the district鈥檚 most diverse schools. The school housed a Newcomers Center, where students of immigrant and refugee families spent a semester acclimating to the United States and North Carolina鈥檚 education system.

The because district officials feared it conflicted with on English Learner students. The guidance explained that these students must have meaningful and equal access to participate in educational programs.

Prather, now a member of the state House, said she felt disappointment when she learned that the program had closed. She swelled with hope after leaders at LatinxEd told her about a district with an entire school devoted to newcomers.

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The in Guilford County is so popular the district is newcomers school in August.

, D-Buncombe, said there is a need in Buncombe County to support newcomer students. She made a visit to the Doris Henderson school this week, along with Reps. , D-Wake; , R-Watauga; and , D-Buncombe.

Cervania said Wake County has dozens of new arrivals every day, echoing the need for robust newcomer programs. And the public school system is distinctly able to provide supports to both students and their families.

鈥淚 would argue that the public aspect is a massive factor here,鈥� Prather said. 鈥淚t is so holistic. It’s optional for families, but they know that it’s a resource here because (the school) works so well with the base schools. The whole idea is to get them ready to go back into their base school where they can both contribute to that school community but also become part of that local community, as well.

鈥淭he fact that this is open to everybody and doesn’t cost the families is essential to the feeling that they created here.鈥�

What makes the newcomer school special?

At Doris Henderson, students are able to participate in all of the things offered at the district’s other schools. Students enter an English-only speaking environment, with support available from translators and, often, from other students who speak their native language.

They learn about the education system. They receive instruction designed to catch them up in English, literacy, mathematics, and other subjects. And they take field trips to develop background knowledge on American culture 鈥� like going to baseball games.

Families are also central to the school 鈥� welcomed intentionally as partners in the educational process of their students.  The school provides adult literacy classes to families, empowering them to progress in their English language development. The school makes child care available during those sessions.

These students also put on international days, creating performances and presentations to teach other students about their cultures.

鈥淭his is actually doing something 鈥� when they went into other schools to share,鈥� Pickett said. 鈥淚’ve seen too many DEI programs that are doing nothing. This is actually doing something.鈥�

A model that could serve other counties

The equal opportunities are key to Doris Henderson鈥檚 compliance with the law. Students spend a maximum of one year in the program before moving to their base school.

Prather said her school board is eager to hear about what she learned on her Doris Henderson visit. Asheville has a growing newcomer population. Refugees from Ukraine, for example, have come to Buncombe County for several years. That trend has picked up since Ukraine was invaded by Russia last year.

For Prather, it鈥檚 an example of the necessity of public programs, and public schools in particular: Where else can families get a comprehensive host of services that reach both them and their kids?

Other school districts offer newcomer programs, but often these look similar to Buncombe鈥檚, housed inside a base school. Doris Henderson, as well as the second newcomer school opening, receive a lot of local funding from a large district.

鈥淚 think this program perfectly exemplifies the choice that is and can be available in public schools when we do fully fund and provide resources to our public schools,鈥� Prather said. 鈥淵es, we understand that not every teacher and not every school is the perfect fit for every student.

鈥淏ut when you have an area like this, that has the buy-in from the community, that has the resources, that has the funding, that has the staffing to create something like this within the public system, I think that just shows that, when given the opportunity, we can provide all those choices.鈥�

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