A&T’s Aggie Academy Designated an Apple Distinguished School

Recognized for innovation, leadership and educational excellence using technology

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (Sept. 2, 2024) – North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University’s  Aggie Academy is pleased to announce it has been recognized as an Apple Distinguished School for the 2024–2027 program term. Schools apply and are selected for this distinction based on their commitment to continuous innovation in education and using Apple products to inspire, imagine, and impact teaching and learning.

Apple announced its latest cohort of distinguished schools August 28. According to Apple’s Distinguished Schools website, there are currently 889 Apple Distinguished Schools across 37 countries.

Apple Distinguished Schools are centers of leadership and educational excellence, with a clear vision for how technology-rich environments support learning goals. In Apple Distinguished Schools, forward-thinking leaders and their communities work to inspire, imagine, and impact teaching and learning, and they have documented results of academic accomplishments.

Schools all over the world are using iPad and Mac to transform learning. As teachers incorporate technology into their lessons, they empower students to lead, learn, and thrive, to discover new opportunities, and to make their world a better place.

N.C. A&T’s Aggie Academy, a unit in the university’s College of Education (COEd), is a public, free laboratory school for third, fourth and fifth graders in Guilford County, North Carolina, primarily serving students living in East Greensboro. Established in 2021-22 by the A&T Board of Trustees, the University of North Carolina System Board of Governors and the state Board of Education, Aggie Academy also partners with Guilford County Schools to provide transportation, meals and support services.

Aggie Academy is designed to provide an enhanced educational experience for students from low-performing schools. In collaboration with the university, Aggie Academy serves as a living laboratory for the COEd. Faculty and students from the college regularly engage with Aggie Academy, bringing theory into practice. This dynamic interaction allows education students to observe and practice real-world skills and strategies, fostering an interdependent relationship between the two institutions.

“We are honored that Aggie Academy has been recognized as an Apple Distinguished School,” said Paula Groves Price, Ph.D., COEd dean and professor. “The vision for Aggie Academy has been centered on providing a technology-rich environment where creativity and engineering design processes are woven into every facet of learning. This designation is a testament to the hard work of our teachers and staff to innovate teaching and learning for student success. We are excited to increase our momentum, foster a culture of innovation, and become a model for the promise of UNC System Laboratory Schools.”