A+ Schools will be accepting new schools into the A+ network in the summer of 2025. If your school is interested in joining the A+ network, please submit a Letter of Intent by 5 p.m. on May 31, 2024 or contact A+ Schools Program Director Michelle Burrows for more information at michelle.burrows@dncr.nc.gov.

A+ Schools provides high-quality professional development and ongoing support so that teachers can create engaging, rigorous and meaningful learning experiences for their students. A+ honors the uniqueness of every school and customizes professional development experiences for the individual needs, character, and practice of each school community. A+ Schools of North Carolina succeeds in all types of schools: urban, rural, large, small, public, private, charter, pre-K through high school.

Transformation occurs when the entire school reflects on its current processes, desires change, shares solutions, and works together. A+ Schools of North Carolina requires that 85 percent of each school’s certified staff agree that A+ is a great fit for their school. Our entry process is designed to provide school leadership with the knowledge and support needed to achieve the 85-percent commitment.

The summer Five-Day A+ Institute is a school’s official entry into the A+ network. The Institute is a highly experiential opportunity for a school’s entire staff to engage with the foundational components of A+, the A+ Essentials. Through individual, grade level, small group, whole-school, and cross-school experiences, educators reflect on their instructional practices, build comfort in creative teaching and the arts and learn to implement A+ practice.

Interested in becoming an A+ school? The following documents will help you understand the process and cost of entering the A+ Schools network. Schools outside of North Carolina interested in our program should contact Director Michelle Burrows for cost estimates.