About the Initiative
The North Carolina Education Futures Initiative (NCEFI) was launched to meet the need for rigorous, actionable research on the most pressing educational policy questions of the day.
Located at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NCEFI is a multidisciplinary initiative led by the UNC School of Education and UNC Department of Public Policy that brings together faculty affiliates with wide-ranging and diverse expertise in education policy and rigorous research methods from across academic disciplines. NCEFI undertakes research projects to advance bold, research-based ideas that will improve education policy, decision-making, and educational equity for students in North Carolina and beyond.
NCEFI research is grouped broadly into the following three areas:
Improving Postsecondary Access, Affordability, and Success
NCEFI is committed to improving postsecondary access, affordability, and attainment for students of all backgrounds and from all corners of North Carolina. NCEFI affiliates are studying projects that explore factors that pose obstacles to students seeking to complete their postsecondary education, as well as a range of current and proposed policies to improve postsecondary outcomes.
Strengthening and Preparing the Workforce
NCEFI is committed to fostering a bright economic future for North Carolina by ensuring the quality of the state’s education system and its programs to train the next generation of workers in high-demand areas. NCEFI affiliates are engaged in research projects investigating the quality and character of our state’s K-16 STEM pipeline and the continuously evolving skill and training demands of the state’s economy.
Increasing K-12 Educational Equity and Quality
NCEFI is committed to ensuring all North Carolina students have access to the highest quality schools and educational opportunities. To that end, NCEFI affiliates are engaged in several research projects to study disparities produced by existing K-12 policies; identify how to make the most of the resources currently available to K-12 schools; and determine how best to target new investments.