Dr. Bennett Jones Named New Director For North Carolina Teaching Fellows

Dr. Bennett Jones

Jones to lead recruitment, forgivable loan program for North Carolina teachers

The Board of Governors of the University of North Carolina System has appointed Dr. Bennett Jones to lead the North Carolina Teaching Fellows program.

The Teaching Fellows program is a competitive, merit-based forgivable loan program providing tuition assistance of up to $8,250 per year for qualified students committed to teaching special education, science, technology, engineering or math in a North Carolina public school. The purpose of the program is to recruit, prepare and support future teachers who attend institutions of higher education in North Carolina.

Jones has spent 24 years working in various teaching and leadership roles in North Carolina public schools. Since 2016, he has served as principal of Clayton High School in Clayton, N.C., where he was voted Johnston County Public Schools Principal of the Year for 2017-18. Under Jones’ leadership, Clayton High School saw notable improvements in graduation and retention rates, and implemented a five-year improvement plan based on culture, data, intervention scheduling, professional development and personalized learning opportunities for students.

“I am honored to lead the North Carolina Teaching Fellows program and to collaborate with P-12 schools and the colleges and universities in North Carolina to recruit students into the teaching profession,” Jones said. “It has been a privilege and highlight in my career to have served as a principal of Clayton High School, and I am immensely grateful for the support I have received from the Clayton community and Johnston County Public Schools. I look forward to working with educators and leaders across the state to promote our outstanding teacher preparation programs and to enhance and expand the future teacher pipeline in North Carolina.”

“On behalf of the Johnston County Board of Education, we want to thank Dr. Jones for all of his contributions and great accomplishments at Clayton High School and his service to JCPS,” said Todd Sutton, chair of the Johnston County Public Schools Board of Education. “We are very excited for him to have the opportunity to lead a statewide program that will help recruit and educate the next generation of teachers in North Carolina.”

Prior to leading Clayton High School, Jones served as the assistant principal at South Johnston High School in Four Oaks. He spent 10 years as an educator at public schools in Johnston and Wilson counties, teaching computer engineering, health and physical education at Beddingfield High School in Wilson, Clayton High School and West Johnston High School in Benson. In addition to his teaching roles, he served at each school as a coach for football and track.

Jones received a bachelor’s degree from East Carolina University and completed his master’s and doctoral degrees at NC State University.

He will work to recruit prospective teachers with the eight Teaching Fellows institutions across the state: Elon University, Fayetteville State University, Meredith College, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, NC State University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and University of North Carolina at Pembroke.

(UNC System Press Release)

9 COMMENTS

  1. The screw-up and move-up legacy of this liberal progressive far-left school board lives on. They have fooled the parents and taxpayers for aslong as possible, but with the Honorable Ronald Johnson demasking them thier time and support has come to a end. That’s why they are not running for re-election, they rather save them selves and thier family from what surely would be a miserable political loss!

    https://jocoreport.com/school-board-approves-financial-settlement-with-clayton-high-principal-dr-bennett-jones/

    • You shouldn’t be allowed to type words onto the computer machine. Unbelievable the nonsense that you promulgate. I can define that word for you should you need me to.

      • His tin foil hat is too tight and his kool aid is way too strong….but diversity makes the world go round. Sometimes you just don’t know whether to laugh or cry.

  2. Dr. Jones was an amazing principal at Clayton High School. He understands that students learn in different ways and provided an amazing alternatives model for his students to choose from. He also didn’t take any crap from disrespectful students. He was authoritative in a common sense type of way. Too bad all principals are not like Dr. Jones!

    • Adding vending machines in violation of local and state law (vending requirements, sugar requirements, monopoly on cafeteria sales til lunch requirements), ignoring the athletes that broke into the machines so they are not punished mid-season, giving credit for a science class my child never took… I’ll give him credit. He was creative. I am thankful MORE principals aren’t like Bennett Jones.

      The school is a disaster right now. A dumpster fire because he has focused completely on football and his projects related to it. My soccer playing child is not proud of the field being redone… Mostly because it has been labeled as the football practice field. It is clear that he only cares about football, and nothing else.

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