Education has been of central importance to the NC Council of Churches throughout our history. Part of our opposition to segregation was support for a fully integrated public school system. When it seemed that too many voices of faith were bashing public schools, the Council’s Public Education Committee was created to provide an alternate voice. Public education is probably our society’s greatest equalizer, opening opportunities to people of all backgrounds, incomes, and abilities.
Now there’s a new news service to help North Carolinians be better informed about what is going on regarding our schools. One of its two co-founders is Ferrel Guillory, former editor of the editorial page of the Raleigh News & Observer, faithful Catholic, and previous recipient of the Council’s Faith Active in Public Life Award. He writes:
It is with a great deal of excitement that I announce the launch of EducationNC, a digital news platform for North Carolina. The education of our children is far too important for decisions to be made by the few. We intend to broaden the conversation about the future of our schools – and our state. We will tell success stories, bring greater transparency to the education debate, and provide greater access to data.
We launch EdNC in an era of disruption and debate – disruption in the world of journalism that has resulted in the downsizing of newspapers and significant reduction in the scope of reporting on issues that are vital to the future of our society; debate in state government and in communities across North Carolina over the role of preK-12 public education.
In today’s environment of disruption, EdNC will face challenges confronting both old and new media: how to build and/or sustain an audience. We seek a statewide audience, including farmers and foundation staffs, leaders of religious organizations and political parties. We want EdNC to be read by public officials, parents, and policymakers, as well as by teachers and school administrators.
Beyond just reporting, EducationNC will be a place for ideas, offering access to research, providing background explainers on major topics, examining court cases and legal issues. We will offer a place to tell the stories that arise from the 115 local districts across North Carolina.
I’ll be writing a column on Fridays. I hope you’ll tune in.
Join us on the journey ahead by adding your voice to the conversation at EdNC.org.
If you care about our schools, and we all ought to care about our schools, I hope you will visit EdNC’s website and consider signing up for their news.
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