North Carolina public school teachers are encouraged to apply for awards to get additional training and experience. Governor Roy Cooper and the North Carolina Business Committee for Education are pleased to announce that educators can apply for the Governor’s Educator Discovery Award which provides a stipend of up to $1,000 for public school teachers to pursue professional development. 

PreK-12 traditional public and public charter school teachers can use the award to attend a workshop or conference that deepens their subject area knowledge or contributes to their development as an educator. This will be the sixth round of teachers to receive the award and brings the total number of grants awarded to fifteen. 

“Teachers are the most important factor in improving student success in our public schools,” Governor Cooper said. “We want to give them more ways to get the training and professional development they need to support their students.”

Teachers can apply for the award now with selections announced in late April. To be eligible for the Governor’s Educator Discovery Awards, teachers should submit a proposal that includes details about their teaching experience and the professional development activity they wish to pursue. The next round of awards will open May 1and the final round will open October 1.

To learn more about the Governor's Educator Discovery Awards or submit an application, click HERE.

The most recent winners of the Governor’s Educator Discovery Award are teachers from Guilford and Johnston counties: Manessa Green, an elementary AIG educator from Ronald E. MacNair Elementary School, used the grant to complete her National Board Certification; Suzanne Sweat, an AP English Language and Composition educator from Smithfield Selma High School, attended the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention and Advancement teacher leadership workshop. 

The Governor's Educator Discovery Awards are funded by member companies of the North Carolina Business Committee for Education (NCBCE).

“The Governor’s Educator Discovery Award gives teachers the flexibility to choose professional development opportunities that will help them become better practitioners and inspire and support their students”, said Lilyn Hester, NCBCE Chair. “NCBCE members know and strongly support the importance of professional development for teachers across our state, especially during this challenging time”.

NCBCE operates out of the Office of the Governor as a non-partisan, business-led education non-profit. NCBCE has been providing the critical link between North Carolina Business leaders and the state's education decision-makers since 1983 through work-based learning opportunities, professional development opportunities, and North Carolinian's overall work readiness across the state.

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