WestEd, the education research nonprofit, issued Sound Basic Education for All: An Action Plan for North Carolina. The massive report includes eight key recommendations, as well as historical context, data and 13 research studies.

The genesis of the WestEd report is the landmark Leandro lawsuit that began in the mid-1990s and established NC’s constitutional duty to ensure all children have the opportunity to receive ‘a sound basic education.’ In 2017, the parties in the lawsuit filed a motion for an independent consultant to create said action plan.

The Belk Foundation has particular interest in WestEd’s critical need findings to provide a qualified, well-prepared, and diverse teaching staff in every school and to provide a qualified and well-prepared principal in every school. While the report offers many recommendations that build off successful and innovative practices in the state, it’s vital that these human capital strategies relate to each other in a cohesive system, rather than as isolated programs.