Plymouth, NC – State Board of Education Chairman Bill Cobey and N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler will host a study visit Thursday, Sept. 18, focusing on the state’s first regional school, the Northeast Regional School of Biotechnology and Agriscience. Among other leaders joining Cobey and Troxler to learn more about the innovative school will be state Senate Majority Leader Harry Brown, Sen. Bill Cook, Reps. Craig Horn, of Union County, and Paul Tine. Cook and Tine represent counties in the northeast.

The Sept. 18 visit begins at 10 a.m. and ends at 2 p.m. and will be at the N.C. Department of Agriculture’s Tidewater Research Station, 207 Research Station Road, Plymouth.

Now in its third year, the Northeast Regional School opened in 2012 through a partnership among N.C. State University, the State Board of Education, five northeastern rural school districts and NC New Schools. The school also enjoys strong support from the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

The school currently serves 165 students in grades 9-11 from Beaufort, Martin, Tyrell, Pitt and Washington counties. It ultimately will enroll up to 500 students in grades 7-13 from the five partner districts.

A key goal of the school is to serve as a statewide model and partner in the economic, educational and social transformation of regions facing challenging economic headwinds. Northeastern North Carolina has suffered drastic economic decline, loss of jobs and population, and low academic achievement since the early 1990s. Through active partnerships with biotechnology and agriscience-related businesses and higher education, the school is redesigning the high school curriculum and prototyping innovative instructional practices that emphasize real-world challenges and 21st century skills.

The Sept. 18 event will include visits to classrooms where problem-based learning and authentic research are emphasized. Panel discussions among educators and business leaders will focus on instructional practices aimed at preparing all students to excel in a college-preparatory program of study; assessing the impact of the regional school on a statewide network of schools, and defining the role of the school as an economic driver.

Download the full news release, including the day’s agenda:
State Leaders Visit NC’s 1st Regional School