Lily Rosene began her teaching career in 2020 when COVID-19 derailed her career plans and anearby school was desperate for teachers. She entered her first 9th-grade English classroom without a clear understanding of her students or the curriculum. However, she knew reading was important to any English classroom, so she decided to make silent…

As the number of displaced people increases, providing refugee-background students with critically engaging classrooms is essential. Supporting diverse learners, while focusing on issues of social justice and equity, critical literacy facilitates a perspective where texts are analyzed for underlying messages of power and sociopolitical issues.…

When students look back on their most important teachers, the social aspects of their education are often what they recall. Learning to set goals, take risks and responsibility, or simply believe in oneself are often fodder for fond thanks--alongside mastering precalculus, becoming a critical reader, or remembering the capital of Turkmenistan. The…

To increase the number of students graduating from high school prepared for college, North Carolina has established the largest number of Early College High Schools (ECHS) in the United States. Early results from a rigorous, independent study of North Carolina's initiative have shown that these schools have substantial positive impacts on student…

Because ninth grade is such a tough year for many students, some school districts have created special academies or other programs to provide special attention to students in the first year of high school. Studies show that ninth-graders have the most discipline incidents and retentions, and are most likely to drop out. In this paper, the author…

Three decades of mounting academic and testing requirements are snagging growing numbers of students in the 9th grade. "The bulge" is the name education researchers give to the percentage increase in students in the 9th grade over the same period. This article reports on factors that might explain the growing 9th grade bottleneck and…

Describes how a North Carolina school system's integrated English/Social Studies pilot program helped ninth grade students develop more awareness of their local, state, and national community. Notes that the program features research, writing, and literary analysis, as well as a planned program for the "common good." (PRA)

The North Carolina State Board of Education, as part of the Quality Assurance Program, initially established a computer proficiency requirement for diplomas issued to the Class of 2000. In October 1995, the Board made the requirement effective beginning with the graduating class of 2001. Students who were in grade eight for the 1996-97 school year…

The North Carolina State Board of Education, as part of the Quality Assurance Program established a computer proficiency requirement for diplomas issued to the high school classes of 2001 and beyond. The North Carolina Tests of Computer Skills (multiple-choice and performance) must be administered at the end of grade eight with subsequent…