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Through The NC Restart Program, Public Schools Can Make And Break The Rules

More than 100 public schools in North Carolina have applied and been granted approval to participate in a scholastic experiment called Restart. The Restart program allows low-performing schools to operate like charter programs without having charter status.

EdNC senior reporter Alex Granados and WRAL education reporter Kelly Hinchcliffe join Host Frank Stasio to discuss their new three-part series about the state’s Restart program.

The institutions have greater flexibility than traditional public schools, allowing them to play around with school hours, shift teacher positions, or start after-school programs in ways not designated by the state. Two North Carolina reporters looked into the little-known program and found that while it gives schools permission to experiment, it does not provide sufficient administrative support or a clear way to measure success.

Host Frank Stasio speaks with Alex Granados, senior reporter at EdNC, and Kelly Hinchcliffe, WRAL education reporter, about their new three-part series about the state’s Restart program. 

Emily Alejo, a nine-year old at Haw River Elementary in Alamance County. Haw River is one of the schools approved for the Restart program.
Courtesy Kelly Hinchcliffe / WRAL
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WRAL
Emily Alejo, a nine-year old at Haw River Elementary in Alamance County. Haw River is one of the schools approved for the Restart program.

Copyright 2018 North Carolina Public Radio

Laura Pellicer is a producer with The State of Things (hyperlink), a show that explores North Carolina through conversation. Laura was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, a city she considers arrestingly beautiful, if not a little dysfunctional. She worked as a researcher for CBC Montreal and also contributed to their programming as an investigative journalist, social media reporter, and special projects planner. Her work has been nominated for two Canadian RTDNA Awards. Laura loves looking into how cities work, pursuing stories about indigenous rights, and finding fresh voices to share with listeners. Laura is enamored with her new home in North Carolina—notably the lush forests, and the waves where she plans on moonlighting as a mediocre surfer.
Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.