Today, Governor Roy Cooper visited South Johnson Elementary School in Scotland County to celebrate Teacher Appreciation Day and meet with members of the North Carolina Education Corps program. The NC Education Corps members serve as high-impact literacy tutors that help K-3 students with reading skills and help them recover from the learning disruptions they’ve experienced over the course of the pandemic.

“As we celebrate Teacher Appreciation Day, we’re also committed to ensuring that our teachers have the tools they need to succeed,” Governor Cooper said. “Our NC Education Corps members provide students with the intensive tutoring they need to catch up and I encourage people to apply to be a tutor for the upcoming academic year.”

“100% of the students being served demonstrated growth in reading and 10% of them have moved from below grade level at the beginning of year to at grade level at the mid-year mark,” said South Johnson Elementary School Principal Tonya McLean. “We are seeing a tremendous impact as a result of these efforts!”

“We are grateful for our many community partners in education who work every day to increase opportunities for all students,” said Scotland County Schools Superintendent Takeda LeGrand. “Our students participating in the high dosage tutoring program not only build relationships with their tutors; but they build a learning community with the small group of peers who hold them accountable for learning and encourage them to take risks as they work towards their individual learning goals.”

“It takes many hands to make this work possible, and we are calling on more North Carolina residents to step up and serve as high-dosage tutors in the coming school year to help K-3 students build their phonics and phonological awareness skills — foundational skills for learning how to read,” said NC Education Corps Executive Director John-Paul Smith.

In collaboration with the North Carolina State Board of Education, local school districts and the N.C. Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service, Governor Cooper launched the NC Education Corps program in 2020 to help respond to the impact of COVID-19 in schools. Governor Cooper recently directed additional federal funding to NC Education Corps to recruit, train and place tutors with North Carolina public schools and to plan for the possible expansion into math tutoring.

The NC Education Corps partners with public schools across the state to recruit and train members to support students and accelerate learning. There are nearly 200 NC Education Corps members working in 23 school districts across the state. Corps members are paid and work part-time. The NC Education Corps plans to recruit more tutors for the 2023 – 2024 school year.

South Johnson Elementary School is a public school in Laurinburg. The school serves over 650 students from Pre-K to 5th grade.

Governor Cooper has proclaimed May 2 – 6, 2022 as Teacher Appreciation Week and May 3, 2022 as Teacher Appreciation Day to celebrate North Carolina’s educators and highlight their impact on children and the state.

Learn more and hear the complete story at the Governor Cooper Highlights.

Excerpted from Jordan Monaghan, NC Governor Roy Cooper, Governor Cooper Highlights North Carolina Education Corps Program at South Johnson Elementary School in Scotland County, Encourages People to Apply to be Tutors