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William & Ida Friday Institute for Educational Innovation
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2024 Year in Review

2024 was a year of celebration at the Friday Institute. We commemorated 20 years of the groundbreaking of our building on NC State’s Centennial Campus, realized three years partnering with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) on their K-12 Cybersecurity Initiative, convened education partners to discuss and explore pivotal topics in education and honored a prestigious leader in education, Maria Pitre-Martin. Explore how we advanced K-12 education this year and browse some of our biggest stories of 2024.

We Celebrated 20 Years on NC State’s Centennial Campus

On Friday, March 15, 2024, the Friday Institute celebrated the 20th anniversary of the groundbreaking of its building with a commemorative ceremony, featuring remarks from current Friday Institute Executive Director and Associate Dean for Translational Research in the College of Education Krista Glazewski and former executive directors Hiller Spires and Glenn Kleiman. College of Education Dean Paola Sztajn also offered remarks in addition to keynote speaker Nichole Pinkard, the Alice Hamilton Professor of Learning Sciences at Northwestern University.

We Continued to Impact Computer Science Education in North Carolina

Two people sit on the floor and work on a robot using an iPad
Saletta Ureña, Guilford County Schools district leader and Jeanes Fellowship coordinator, works on a coding activity during the Friday Institute’s professional development event Innovation Island.

In collaboration with state and district partners, our Professional Learning and Leading Collaborative (PLLC) team has been instrumental in advancing computer science education through initiatives like the NC Computer Science Professional Learning Program, which has supported over 400 educators across North Carolina, and the New NC Computer Science District Implementation Program (NC-CSDIP), a partnership with NCDPI, Code.org and CS4All supporting K-12 districts in implementing computer science education and closing gaps in underserved communities. In 2023, the PLLC, as a regional partner of Code.org, was recognized for training the most educators in the nation. Once again this year, we trained more secondary teachers than any other regional partner in the country, impacting over 27K students. Also, our very own Computer Science Education Scholar Russell Strand-Poole was recently named the president of CS4NC. CS4NC is the North Carolina chapter of the Expanding Computing Education Pathways (ECEP) Alliance.

400

educators in grades 6-12 were trained by the Friday Institute computer science team in the last three years

10%

of all teachers who participated in Code.org’s CS professional learning programs this year were trained by the Friday Institute

27K

students impacted in the last three years by the Friday Institute’s computer science training

We Developed New Partnerships in Our AI Work

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In partnership with Digital Promise, the Friday Institute hosted a convening on the future of artificial intelligence (AI) in education, titled the EngageAI forum. This forum brought the educational community together around the theme “Collaboratively Shaping the Future of AI: Lessons Learned and Emerging Opportunities.”

Our teams continue to support the research, practice and policy issues around AI integration in K-12 schools. We have prioritized convening key partners for these important conversations, providing resources for vetting and implementing AI resources and guiding administrators in the guidelines and policies surrounding AI integration in schools, districts and states. We have hosted several virtual series for educators, including Real Issues, Real Data and AI with the FI: From Insight to Innovation in Higher Education. Our team is currently supporting New Mexico’s work in AI implementation in their public schools. The expertise and research-backed methods we can provide educators is invaluable.

Education Leader Maria Pitre-Martin Receives 2024 Friday Medal

On Monday, Nov. 18, Maria Pitre-Martin, executive director of the SERVE Center at UNC-Greensboro, was honored as the recipient of the annual Friday Medal award during a ceremony at the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation.

Learn more
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We Celebrated A 3-Year Partnership With NCDPI Working On Their K-12 Cybersecurity Initiative

Two educators talk at a table in front of their laptops. They sit in a room full of educators.
Technical staff from Durham Public Schools collaborate during the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)’s tabletop exercise event at the Friday Institute. On Feb. 21, 2024, the Friday Institute, in partnership with NCDPI and CISA, hosted more than 75 technology and business team members from 14 public school districts throughout North Carolina for a tabletop exercise to prepare participants for future cyber incidents in their schools. 

Since NCDPI created its K-12 Cybersecurity Initiative in 2021, the Friday Institute’s Technology Infrastructure Lab (TIL) has been essential to the protection, detection and responses for K-12 institutions across North Carolina. According to the TIL team, over the last three years, 200,000 educators have completed over a half million cybersecurity training modules and have received 1.9 million phishing simulation emails. There is no other state in the country that has a K-12 cybersecurity program that is comparable to North Carolina’s, primarily due to the combination of subject matter experts, K-12 experience and genuine desire to support, protect and uplift every public school unit (PSU) in the state. See below for a brief timeline of some of the work our team has done over the past few years.

  • 2020

    Funding allocated for statewide cybersecurity assessment of PSUs and for development of new K-12 Cybersecurity Program

  • 2021

     Friday Institute begins providing cybersecurity program administration and support, playing a significant role in the day-to-day operations and management of the overall cybersecurity program. Coordinates hundreds of professional development, education and outreach engagements  

  • 2022

    NCDPI K-12 Cybersecurity Program formally launches with program website, Cybersecurity Advisory Council (CAC) and a robust joint strategy and vision with implementation plans

  • 2022

    Friday Institute formalizes and facilitates KnowBe4-based cybersecurity awareness and skills training

  • 2023

    Friday Institute develops the PSU Incident Management Toolkit, launches the K-12 Cybersecurity Webinar Series

  • Feb. 21, 2024

    Friday Institute hosts more than 75 technology and business team members from 14 public school districts throughout North Carolina for a tabletop exercise to prepare participants for future cyber incidents in their schools. 

We Advanced State Priorities for Education Through Engagement, Research and Evaluation

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North Carolina State Senators Jay Chaudhuri and Jim Burgin attended this year’s Real Issues, Real Data: Cell Phones, Students and Schools session. The two senators co-sponsored a bill in May to study cellphone use in schools.

The “Real Issues, Real Data” series launched this year and is designed for K-12 educators, researchers and policymakers to explore pivotal topics in education. Topics include AI and computer science, cellphones in educational settings, career pathways in STEM, cybersecurity and more. Participants engaged deeply with cutting-edge research and empirical data to inform evidence-based decisions that will shape the future of education. Each session is a stand-alone topic with expert thought leaders to support the education community in innovating solutions and driving impactful change in the educational landscape. One of this year’s most engaging workshops was “Cell Phones, Students and Schools,” which explored the impact of cellphone use on students, encouraging responsible digital habits and promoting a healthy balance through state and local guidance and policy. We engaged with NC education leaders, parents, students, researchers and legislators to provide their perspectives on the topic. Other state priorities our teams addressed this year include research and evaluation work for North Carolina’s Advanced Teaching Roles program and supporting the next phase of North Carolina’s Digital Opportunity Plan.

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Two people hold up a large red and gold trophy. One is a student. One is an adult. They are both wearing red shirts, as part of the same team.
On April 13, 122 students from across the state competed in academic and STEM-based activities as part of MSEN Day, an event created and hosted by the North Carolina Mathematics and Science Education Network Pre-College Program (MSEN).
Two people stand in front of a room to present. One holds a multicolored object that visualizes data used during a project.
During the Moving NC Forward in Teaching Statistics and Data Science 2024 Regional Conference, held in conjunction with eCOTS on June 13 at the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation, Craig Lazarski and Kristi Ramey from Cary Academy shared how they visualize data and turn raw numbers into compelling narratives through the medium of art.
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The Sandbox Makerspace at Innovation Island gave educators the chance to work with materials they might use in their classrooms.
Educators sit around a table engaged in conversation
During table talks throughout the Building Bridges Between School Districts and EdTech Symposium, attendees discussed the current systems, practices and frameworks used in their districts, schools and classrooms as well as next steps for AI integration.
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Members of the Professional Learning and Leading Collaborative (PLLC) hosted Innovation Island, a K-12 professional development adventure. This year was the first year we hosted Innovation Island, a dynamic, immersive event that fosters creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving among educators. By blending technology integration with pedagogical strategies, Innovation Island equips educators with fresh ideas and practical resources to enhance student engagement and prepare learners for future success.
A group of educators pose in two lines with their art projects
Our New Literacies Collaborative team (NLC) is working with Wake County Public School System’s Centennial Campus Magnet Middle School (CCMMS) to nurture educators’ capacity for designing and implementing grade-level, glocally-relevant (global + local), interdisciplinary inquiry-to-action projects with students through Project-Based Inquiry (PBI).
A room full of educators clap and encircle a woman in the center of their circle
CCMMS educators participate in a PBI Global professional development session led by the NLC. In fiscal year 2023-2024, the NLC engaged with 115 educators, 170 students and five partner schools.
Four educators sit in a row on tall chairs smiling at the camera. They are all wearing suits.
Educators from three public school districts in North Carolina share their experiences managing cellphones in schools during a panel at the Real Issues, Real Data event at the Friday Institute.