The Friday Institute advances K-12 education through innovation in teaching, learning and leadership by bringing together students, teachers, researchers, policymakers and educational professionals.

The Institute is focused on addressing the pressing, near-term needs of our educational system by conducting research and evaluation, developing educational resources, leading educator professional development and student programs, advocating to improve teaching and learning, and helping inform policy-making. Collectively, the Friday Institute’s work focuses on helping K-12 schools become future-oriented organizations that build upon their traditional strengths to better serve all students.

 

laptop

EDUCATE
by conducting professional learning, research and evaluation

gears

INNOVATE
by designing supports, tool and structure for educational change

lightbulb

INSPIRE
by convening and catalyzing stakeholders to inform standards, policy and practice

The Friday Institute has a wealth of knowledge and research to support school districts, school children and the Department of Public Instruction. They are a value to this state and we couldn’t do this work without their input.

– Robert Taylor; Former Deputy Superintendent, District and School Support Services; North Carolina Department of Public Instruction

 

Cultivating Equity in Education Through Equity-Mindedness

A group of children and parents bend underneath test tubes holding blue liquid
Our Innovations in STEM Education Research team’s FAME project created partnerships between the Friday Institute and three local museums to engage families in STEM activities and encourage children’s interest in science, technology and mathematics.

The Friday Institute aims to cultivate equitable educational outcomes by fostering equity-mindedness across educational systems. We are committed to removing systemic barriers for learners, honoring the voices and perspectives of those who teach, lead and learn in North Carolina schools and beyond through public discourse and cross-stakeholder convenings. We believe that each learner deserves the opportunity to succeed.

A woman with her hair pulled back into a high ponytail wears a black cardigan over a multicolored neon and black shirt
MSEN Alumni Testimonial
Jasmine Jarvis shares her experience with the Math Science Education Network (MSEN) Pre-College Program.
Watch the Video
A woman in a gray blazer poses in front of a camera. The point of view is from behind the camera and its wires.
North Carolina's At-Home Learning Initiative
The At-Home Learning Initiative was created to help solve remote learning gaps across the state. With funds from NCDPI through the CARES Act, the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation facilitated the creation and implementation of literacy and math lessons for PreK-5 students.
Learn More
A group of women pose in a line in front of a red and orange background
The Program Evaluation and Education Research (PEER) Internship Program for Undergraduate Students
In 2020, the PEER Group launched an internship program for undergraduate students that allowed student interns to receive training in leadership, educational research and evaluation techniques while contributing to PEER Group projects.
Read the Story

 

Amplifying Teaching and Learning Through Technology

The Friday Institute is committed to using technology to support the ever-changing needs of children and their teachers. Where tools may be lacking or absent, the Friday Institute creates or designs the educational supports from scratch.

Six statistics and icons featured in three columns in two rows: 100% of districts in North Carolina have unlimited broadband access in classrooms with the help of our Technology Infrastructure Lab (icon of a wifi symbol). Our teams have worked with all 115 of North Carolina’s school districts through professional development, evaluation, research or educational projects (icon of an outline of North Carolina with a star cutout over where Raleigh, the capital, is located). 99% of participants in our NC State chapter of the Math and Science Education Network (MSEN) have gone on to college (icon of a student wearing a mortarboard). 5.3 million households reached in North Carolina on PBS-NC with lessons we developed in partnership with NCDPI to help solve remote learning gaps across the state (icon of a flat screen tv monitor). Over 80,000 educators in North Carolina and from across the world were engaged remotely in our professional learning programs since 2020 (icon of a group of five figures from the chest up). 160+ countries represented in our online professional learning courses or modules. (icon of a globe).

wireless technology box hangs on a post that resides over a farm
Friday Institute Publishes Initial Report on Rural Home Internet Access Pilot
An initial report of a pilot program to test emerging wireless technologies for rural areas finds no absolute solution to broadband challenges.
Read the Report
A teacher with short curly hair talks with a young boy in a classroom sitting at a table with school supplies
Friday Institute Forges a Path in Online Professional Learning
Ten years ago, the Friday Institute launched an initiative focused on meeting the growing needs of schools and equipping educators with research-based professional development. Since then, online professional learning at the Friday Institute has served more than 80,000 educators in 50 states and more than 160 countries.
Learn More
Two boys sit in front of laptops at a table in a classroom
Let's Get Digital
Friday Institute’s longtime commitment to digital learning helped change North Carolina’s education landscape.
Learn More

Creating Capacity for Innovation Across Education Systems

Two educators talk in a room of people. The man wears a navy blue polo and the women wears a bright blue polo and a white mask. The woman holds a silver laptop.
Virtual Schools Network (VSN), a partnership between the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation and North Carolina Virtual Public School (NCVirtual) supports and connects traditional virtual public schools. During this year’s Summer Institute, virtual school educator teams had time to connect, collaborate, reflect, learn and plan for the future of their schools.

The Friday Institute is committing resources, research and a wealth of partnership efforts to support educators via innovative strategies for teaching and learning in real-time. We convene stakeholders toward implementation and scale for initiatives worthy of further investment.

 

Two scholars have a conversation while looking at a laptop. One woman stands and the other sits in front of the computer.
LASER Institute Scholars Gather for First In-Person Workshop for Learning, Community and Collaboration
The LASER Institute, a professional development program for early and mid-career researchers, held its first in-person weeklong summer workshop July 11-15 at the Friday Institute to support its scholars in their professional development throughout the year.
Learn More About the Institute
A collage of people on Zoom with the PBI Global logo in the middle.
Person Early College Sees Success with the Project-Based Inquiry (PBI) Global Program
Person Early College for Innovation and Leadership has started their fourth year of collaboration with the Friday Institute’s New Literacies Collaborative.
Read more
Two female teachers wearing black shirts and turquoise lanyards talk and work in front of a laptop and pieces of paper at a table.
New NCDPI Grant Will Facilitate Training of 1,100 Educators to Teach Computer Science in Every Middle and High School in North Carolina
A three-year $1.8 million grant from NCDPI will give the Friday Institute the ability to expand its computer science teacher professional learning program so every middle school and high school in North Carolina has a highly qualified computer science teacher.
Read more

Stories About Our People 

Hollylynne Lee and Gemma Mojica Host Online Workshop for Teachers As New Co-Chairs for the American Statistical Association’s Meeting Within a Meeting

Headshots of Hollylynne Lee, a woman with silver shoulder-length hair wearing a black and white graphic blazer, and Gemma Mojica, a woman with long brown hair wearing a black top

After 15 years, the American Statistical Association’s Meeting within a Meeting, a statistics workshop for K-12 teachers, has two new program co-chairs: Friday Institute’s Hollylynne Lee and Gemma Mojica.

Learn More About the Workshop

PLLC Director Melissa Rasberry Contributes to New Book on Computing Education for In-Service Teachers

A headshot of Melissa Rasberry, a woman with short blonde hair wearing a white top and a baby blue multi-strand pearl necklace

A new book on research and practices in computing education includes a chapter about micro-credentials as a pathway for professional development written by Melissa Rasberry, director of the Professional Learning and Leading Collaborative at the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation.

Learn More About the Book

 

 

PEER Group Acting Director Callie Edwards Receives NC State’s Award for Excellence for Human Relations

Headshot of Callie Edwards, a woman with long curly black hair wearing a light green and black blazer and a pearl necklace

Callie Womble Edwards, acting director of the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation’s Program Evaluation and Education Research (PEER) Group, was awarded NC State’s Award for Excellence for Human Relations for her work creating a diverse, welcoming workplace for staff and students.

Learn More About Callie

 

 

Meet More of Our People