Principal Pay in North Carolina: Aligning Compensation Strategies with Student Success (2026)
BEST NC’s policy brief documents North Carolina’s efforts from 2016 to 2020 to dramatically increase and transform the principal pay structure, focusing on how this important funding lever can best be used to improve student outcomes.
2026 North Carolina Education Innovation Lab Conference Data & Research Brief
This conference brief provides relevant background info, data, and research and was published to support conversations held at the 2026 North Carolina Education Innovation Lab on March 23, 2026.
TeachReadyNC: A Bold New Teacher Apprenticeship Initiative (2026)
TeachReadyNC is designed to disrupt the costly cycle of teacher turnover, giving students access to more experienced, more effective teachers, while creating an apprenticeship pathway for college-educated professionals who are eager to enter the teaching profession but do not have adequate formal training or experience, as an alternative to Permit-to-Teach or Emergency Licenses.
The New North Carolina Principal Fellows Program: Navigating North Carolina’s Bold School Leadership Strategy (2024)
This report builds upon BEST NC’s 2018 policy brief by examining the latest research and best practices around principal preparation, providing an update on the merged program, and recommending the next steps for expanding the New North Carolina Principal Fellows Program to have a greater positive impact on students across North Carolina.
Teacher Apprenticeship in North Carolina: Exploring In-Classroom Preparation for the Next Generation of Teachers (2025)
This policy brief examines the past, present, and possible future of teacher apprenticeship, the benefits and barriers this initiative presents for North Carolina’s current teacher recruitment strategy, and BEST NC’s recommendations for future analysis and implementation.
Advanced Teaching Roles in North Carolina: Meaningful Career Opportunities for Teaching Professionals (2022)
This brief examines the state’s Advanced Teaching Roles™(ATR) program, explains what it is and the history of the initiative, summarizes research on its impact, shares best practices for school districts, and provides recommendations for scaling statewide.