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William & Ida Friday Institute for Educational Innovation

2025 Year in Review

This year we celebrated 20 years of service for the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation. Since we opened our doors in November of 2005, the Friday Institute has become a leader in K-12 education research, policy and practice, constantly shifting and changing priorities to meet the needs of educators and students. For two decades we’ve worked side by side with schools, educators and communities to deliver evidence-based solutions to their challenges. And that continues on today. In 2025, we have convened key partners for various topics from AI to mathematics, enhanced education research and learning in new technologies and served as a model for STEM education research professional development. Explore how we advanced K-12 education this year and browse some of our biggest stories of 2025.

We Marked Two Decades of Innovation in Education

Take a closer look at how the Friday Institute has helped transform K-12 education throughout its history.

Journey Through the Decades

We honored Alfred Mays with our Friday Medal

On Nov. 17, 2025, Alfred Mays, strategist and senior program officer at the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, was awarded the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation’s highest honor—the Friday Medal.

A line of six people in business attire pose. A man in the middle holds an award in a frame--the Friday Medal
Speakers at the Friday Medal ceremony. (L to R) Callie Edwards, Emma Braaten, Dudley Flood, Alfred Mays, Paola Sztajn and Krista Glazewski
Alfred Mays with Ray Spain, retired superintendent of Warren County Schools, and Dudley Flood.
Friday Institute Executive Director Krista Glazewski welcomes guests and commemorates 20 years of the Friday Institute.

We enhanced AI in Education Research and learning with key partnerships

Student sitting at a table playing educational game

Friday Institute, Center for Educational Informatics and EngageAI Institute Collaborate to Advance AI in Education

Researchers at the Friday Institute have been leading the conversation about AI in education policies and practices for a while, but they are also on the forefront of cutting edge research in AI-supported learning technologies.

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Friday Institute Executive Director Krista Glazewski to Partner with Rural Communities on $3.5M NSF Award Expanding AI Education Across Three States

A 4-year, $3.5 million project will enable researchers to grow the PrimaryAI program, fostering rural students’ interest in STEM while equipping them with fundamental AI knowledge they will need to thrive in the future.

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Students gather in a line holding a bag with straps

Students Learn How to Use AI To Solve Real-World Problems During MSEN’s AI Camp

Students attending the MSEN Pre-College Program’s AI camp this summer got to learn firsthand about the scope of AI, its ethical uses and how to apply it to solve real world problems.

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We Gathered NC State Staff and Faculty to Discuss How Technology Can Enhance Research and Learning at the University

Two people speak while looking at a monitor
AI Forward celebrated National AI Literacy Day by convening those interested in AI across NC State to discuss how the technology can enhance research and learning at the university.

The College of Education and the Friday Institute are really leaders on our campus for helping us think about the interdisciplinary ways our students engage in education and the ongoing technological developments that push us to think about how we could teach and learn in new ways.

Rachel Levy

Executive Director of the NC State Data Science and AI Academy and Professor of Mathematics

On National AI Literacy Day, March 28, 2025, 104 NC State University researchers, faculty and staff gathered at the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation to explore the transformative power of artificial intelligence (AI) in innovation, research and learning at NC State. This full-day experience, named AI Forward, was designed to ignite visionary thinking, foster strategic collaborations and propel NC State to the forefront of AI integration in higher education.

We Helped Lead the Implementation of the North Carolina Digital Opportunity and Learning Initiative Plan

In 2025, our teams expanded access, built digital skills and strengthened opportunities for residents to thrive in a connected society. Our Digital Learning team finalized statewide digital skills standards to establish clear benchmarks for safe, responsible and technology-rich behaviors and released recommendations for digital navigation best practices, grounded in national, state and local research.

Our PEER Group supported several portions of the project, including updating the state’s first Tech Resource Finder and overseeing user testing at NC Central University, coordinating with a device ecosystem partner (Digitunity) to support the state’s device needs, working with partners at the Institute for Emerging Issues at NC State to host a statewide convening and preparing to launch a second statewide Digital Opportunity Survey.

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We Convened District and School Leaders to Share and Refine Strategies for Selecting and Evaluating Advanced Teachers

A group of educators sit around a table having a discussion
Leah Sutton (pictured right) facilitates discussion with a district team during a session designed to gather feedback on a draft version of a new rubric to assist with Advanced Teacher evaluation as part of work led by Lam Pham, Assistant Professor and quantitative research lead for the study.

Education leaders, researchers and practitioners from across North Carolina gathered at the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation at NC State University Feb. 27-28 for the Advanced Teaching Roles (ATR) Convening. This two-day event provided a collaborative forum for district and school leaders to share and refine strategies for selecting and evaluating Advanced Teachers, highly effective educators who play a pivotal role in strengthening instruction and student learning.

We Served as a Model for STEM Education Research Professional Development

Since 2020, the Learning Analytics in STEM Education Research (LASER) Institute has empowered:

142

Scholars

Across 30

states

To produce 80+

products, including presentations, articles and workshops

These scholars are examining and improving STEM learning environments through leveraging learning analytics (LA). By advancing scholars’ technical expertise, fostering a varied group of scholars and promoting actionable research, the program has made contributions to both the intellectual and societal dimensions of STEM education. The LASER Institute’s achievements underscore the critical role of targeted professional development in shaping the future of STEM education and research. This is the final year of the two-year project LASER BEAM (Broadening Education in Advanced Methods). LASER is a collaborative partnership between education faculty from NC State University and the University of Pennsylvania, with additional support from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

A group of scholars stand in a lobby and look above where the camera is. They are making shark fins with their arms and hands over their heads
Three scholars chat together in a circle

In Partnership with NCDPI and MCNC, We Launched the Inaugural Public School Unit Cybersecurity Bootcamp for IT Staff and Leaders

On the front lines of cybersecurity in North Carolina’s K-12 schools are its information technology (IT) staff supported by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI)’s K-12 Cybersecurity Program. During October’s Cybersecurity Month, NCDPI hosted its inaugural public school unit (PSU) Cybersecurity Bootcamp Oct. 14-15 for these staff members from over 40 PSUs at the Friday Institute—a key partner of the program.

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Three people interact in a room. Two are sitting, one is standing and talking to the two sitting.

We Hosted a National Summit on Transforming Mathematics Teacher Preparation in Data Science and Statistics

On July 23-24, the Friday Institute hosted the 2025 ESTEEM Summit on Transforming Mathematics Teacher Preparation for a Data Science and Statistics Future. This event included over 80 participants from 54 institutions/organizations to lead the way in preparing secondary math teachers to teach the data science and statistical tools needed to excel in the modern world.

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