Cole del Charco

Fletcher Fellow

Cole del Charco is WUNC’s Fletcher Fellow for education policy reporting. He grew up in Hickory, North Carolina, graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with a B.A. from the School of Media and Journalism and spent his first year out of college working with WFAE, Charlotte’s NPR member station. Cole loves pine trees, sunny days and the mountains of North Carolina.

Tweets at @ColedelCharco

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SBE And State Superintendent Clash Over Reading Tool Contract

By • Jan 9, 2020
The January 2020 State Board of Education meeting room empties out as the board goes into closed session.
Cole del Charco / WUNC

The State Board of Education and State School Superintendent are clashing again over a contract for a K-3 reading diagnostic tool.

Governor's Summit Addresses Teacher Diversity Problem

By • Dec 24, 2019
Cole del Charco / WUNC

Governor Roy Cooper has created a task force to address an ongoing concern in public schools across North Carolina -- a lack of diversity among the state’s teachers. 

Guskiewicz Becomes Permanent UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor

By & • Dec 13, 2019
Image of Kevin Guskiewicz
Courtesy UNC Office of the Chancellor

The University of  North Carolina Board of Governors voted today for Interim UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz to step into the role permanently. 

State Board Of Education Rejects Native American Charter School

By • Dec 9, 2019
photo of an apple on top of books
Kate Ter Haar / Creative Commons

The State Board of Education turned down a charter school application from a group that wants to serve indigenous students in Robeson County.

Teachers Mostly Blame General Assembly For Not Getting A Raise

By • Dec 5, 2019
Cole del Charco / WUNC

Teachers in North Carolina are going without a pay raise until at least next year.  That’s after the General Assembly and Governor couldn’t come to an agreement on a budget this past session, or even a so-called mini-budget, focused on teacher pay. 

Feds: North Carolina Falling Short Of Educating Students With Exceptional Needs

By • Nov 27, 2019
A water fountain inside a hallway at a school at Chapel Hill Carrboro Public Schools.
Brian Batista / For WUNC

The difference between making and missing reporting deadlines for federal compliance can be slim. That’s why having personnel who do evaluations of exceptional children on staff is helpful. But many North Carolina districts can’t afford to.

Johnston County Schools Looking To Fill $9 Million Budget Hole

By • Nov 25, 2019
A hallway with a row of red lockers at a public school in Durham.
Brian Batista / For WUNC

Board of Education officials in Johnston County are struggling to fill an almost $9 million dollar budget shortfall.  The board will ask county commissioners for more money at the Dec. 2 meeting.

Virtual Reality Field Trips Take Students Around The World

By • Nov 6, 2019
Cole del Charco / WUNC

Earlier this semester, students in sixth grade at St. Timothy’s School in Raleigh took a trip to the Roman Coliseum and Greek Parthenon. But they did so without ever leaving their classroom.

Former UNC Board Of Governors Chair Stepping Down Entirely

By • Nov 4, 2019
File photo of UNC Board of Governors Chairman Harry Smith and UNC system President Margaret Spellings responding to questions about the aborted Western Carolina University chancellor search at a July 27, 2018 press conference.
Lisa Philip / WUNC

Harry Smith has announced he's resigning entirely from the UNC  System Board of Governors.

Smith stepped down as chairman in September but said at the time he planned to remain on the board.

On Monday, he said he's decided to relinquish his board seat completely in February to focus more on the private equity firm he started.

UNC Students Lead Town Hall To Address Sexual Assault

By • Oct 23, 2019
Cole del Charco / WUNC

The UNC-Chapel Hill Student Government held a town hall to discuss campus sexual assault, and what's being done to combat it on campus. It was a direct response to a campus-climate survey released last week by the American Association of Universities on sexual assault.

UNC-Chapel Hill Receives 'Very Concerning' Sexual Assault Data

By • Oct 16, 2019
An image of UNC's Old Well
yeungb / Wikipedia Creative Commons

A new campus climate report shows that more than 20 percent of students surveyed at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill experienced forceful or non-consensual sexual touching or penetration.  The survey was conducted at 33 leading research universities by the Association for American Universities.

Outreach Or Campaigning? State Superintendent's Messages Draw Some Parents' Ire

By • Oct 8, 2019
A poster sent by State Superintendent Mark Johnson to schools last year.

Michelle Burton is a library media coordinator at an elementary school in Durham. On a normal day, she helps teachers and students with computers, manages the school library, and teaches students to use technology. One day last year, a box arrived unannounced. It was filled with bookmarks with State Superintendent Mark Johnson’s name prominently printed at the bottom.

ECU Interim Chancellor Placed On Administrative Leave

By • Sep 30, 2019
UNC System interim president Bill Roper, left, announced Tuesday that Dan Gerlach, right, will serve as ECU's leader.
East Carolina University

Updated at 12:24 p.m.

East Carolina University's Interim Chancellor has been placed on administrative leave.

School Bus Driver Shortage A Constant For NC Districts

By • Sep 9, 2019
bus
Cole del Charco / WUNC

Most school years across North Carolina are well underway, and that means giant yellow school buses are out on the roads each morning and afternoon. But just as universal as the first day of school is a near-constant bus driver shortage in districts across the state. 

Durham's Northgate Mall Prepares For Dorian Evacuees

By • Sep 4, 2019
Cole del Charco / WUNC

As Hurricane Dorian nears the North Carolina coast, shelters across the eastern part of the state are preparing for evacuees from coastal communities where the Governor ordered a mandatory evacuation.

At the Northgate Mall in Durham, state officials have turned a former Sears department store into a hurricane shelter. The group had set up more than 500 beds before noon and said it could add another 500 if needed.

After Years Of Challenges, Jones County Opens State-Of-The-Art School

By • Aug 27, 2019
Cole del Charco / WUNC

Jones County has seen its share of destruction and economic challenges. It was one of the poorest counties in North Carolina, even before Hurricane Florence swept through last September, decimating two of the county’s six school buildings. Students in the district missed 25 days of school.

N.C.'s 12 Largest School Districts Want To Delay New Reading Assessment Tool

By • Jun 27, 2019
N.C. Department of Public Instruction
Dave DeWitt

In a letter to the State Board of Education, district superintendents say they need more time to train educators to use the new iStation program before using it to assess K-3 readers.

UNC Names Interim Police Chief

By • Jun 26, 2019
UNC Police

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has named Thomas Younce as its new interim police chief.

Company That Lost NC’s K-3 Reading Assessment Contract Files Protest

By • Jun 25, 2019
children reading
U.S. Navy / Wikimedia Commons

The company that North Carolina K-3 schools used for reading assessments has filed a formal protest over the Read To Achieve contract it lost. 

Where The Governor And Legislature's Budgets Differ On Education

By • Jun 21, 2019
Since the recession, school districts are increasingly relying on donors and foundations, like the Guilford Education Alliance, to stock their classrooms.
Jess Clark / WUNC

It's the second time Democratic Governor Roy Cooper is proposing a budget to the General Assembly, but this time he has some negotiating power. Last time, the Republican legislature had a veto-proof majority, but now the two groups will have to find a compromise.

Bill Cuts Teachers A Break On Licensure Exam

By • Jun 13, 2019
Teacher in classroom with students.
woodleywonderworks / Flickr - Creative Commons - https://flic.kr/p/auPuAq

Teachers across the state of North Carolina who haven’t been able to pass a licensure exam could get an extension from the General Assembly.