LAURINBURG — The Scotland County School District recently received special recognition from the NC Department of Public Instruction for its innovative Genius Bar program.

Scotland County was one of five school districts statewide to receive the Promising Practices recognition.

According to NCDPI, “The mission of the Promising Practices website is to promote practices that motivate, engage, and provide measurable results in North Carolina’s public school units. The Promising Practices Clearinghouse will support teachers, administrators, district personnel, and any other education advocates seeking strategies that have been proven successful.”

The Promising Practices initiative stems from feedback from educators across the state, largely during NCDPI’s District Visits and Voices tour. Many expressed the need to provide a way to share and collaborate with others across the state to see how they are solving issues related to pandemic recovery, according to a press release from NCDPI.

The Genuis Bar, which is a part of the Career and Technical Education program, provides students with work-based learning opportunities and to fill a gap with staff shortages due to increased use of technology during the pandemic.

The other NC school districts that received recognition were: Durham Public Schools, Brunswick County Schools, Rowan-Sailsbury Schools, and Halifax County Schools.

Cheris Hodges can be reached at chodges@laurinburgexch.wpenginepowered.com.