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Across North Carolina, wonderful things are happening every day in our public schools: students overcoming challenges, educators innovating in their classrooms, and communities rallying around learning. Too often, though, these stories go unheard.

At the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation, we believe that changing the conversation about public education begins with listening to the people at its heart. Inspired by William Friday’s lifelong commitment to education and public service, we recently launched a new initiative: a statewide podcast designed to elevate authentic, first-hand stories from North Carolina’s public schools.

Through this podcast, The Friday Dive, we are “flipping the script” on commonly misunderstood or negatively framed issues in education. Each season focuses on a timely theme such as computer science and AI in schools, teacher motivation and retention, recovery from natural disasters, or the impact of targeted funding. Episodes feature educators, students and school communities sharing what is working and why it matters. These are not abstract success stories and are grounded in personal narratives that build understanding, trust and public pride in our schools.

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Tune in for a conversation between the Friday Institute's Amir Lawrence and Reedy Creek Magnet Middle School's Stephanie Raeman as they talk about the importance of teaching students the fundamentals of cybersecurity, AI, and computer science, especially at the middle school level.

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