The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NC DPI) has announced an exciting new effort to strengthen education in rural communities — and Open Up Resources is proud to be part of it.
Through a partnership with the Golden LEAF Foundation and Marzano Resources, the Golden LEAF Schools Initiative will provide $25 million in funding over five years to support middle schools in rural, economically distressed counties. The initiative focuses on improving mathematics instruction, school culture, leadership, and career awareness in schools located in Tier 1 and Tier 2 counties across North Carolina.
About the Golden LEAF Schools Initiative
The initiative will support two groups of middle schools:
- Transformative Schools (TS) Cohort: Focused on using Marzano’s High Reliability Schools (HRS) model to strengthen core instruction, foster effective school culture, and improve student learning outcomes.
- Personalized, Competency-Based Education (PCBE) Cohort: Focused on building customized learning pathways for students.
As part of the Transformative Schools Cohort, participating schools will receive support including professional learning, coaching, leadership stipends, and access to high-quality instructional materials.
Open Up Resources Recognized for Math Leadership
In its announcement, NC DPI named Open Up Resources as a featured math curriculum provider for the Transformative Schools Cohort. The selection reflects the state’s commitment to problem-based, student-centered learning and the importance of supporting educators with research-backed resources. Open Up Resources’ middle school math curriculum will play a central role in helping participating schools build engaging, equitable math classrooms.
Participating Schools
Ten middle schools were selected for the Transformative Schools Cohort, including:
- Bertie Middle School (Bertie County Schools)
- Carver Middle School (Scotland County Schools)
- Contentnea-Savannah K-8 School (Lenoir County Schools)
- East Alexander Middle School (Alexander County Schools)
- East Rutherford Middle School (Rutherford County Schools)
- Harnett Central Middle School (Harnett County Schools)
- Northern Middle School (Person County Schools)
- Union Middle School (Sampson County Schools)
- Warren County Middle School (Warren County Schools)
- West Lee Middle School (Lee County Schools)
These schools will begin working this summer with NC DPI, Golden LEAF, Marzano Resources, and Open Up Resources to prepare for full implementation in the 2025/26 school year.
Why It Matters
This investment represents an important step toward making high-quality curriculum available to North Carolina’s rural communities. By combining proven instructional models with problem-based mathematics resources, the initiative aims to strengthen academic outcomes and build sustainable practices that benefit both students and educators.
Open Up Resources is honored to support these schools and their communities, and we look forward to the impact this initiative will have in the years ahead.