Today we started off the day meeting various policy coordinators in a vert of sectors. One of Governor Cooper’s priorities is education, thus there are a number of the people within the policy department under education. We got to meet a couple of them and I found it extremely interesting to learn about how governance of education works in North Carolina and what this administration has done to improve education given those guidelines. North Carolina has started some really interesting initiatives to reduce high school dropout rates and to promote discussion based learning.
We then met with the policy coordinator in the Public Safety and Justice department. He spoke to us about how this administration is trying to improve the prison system and focus on rehabilitation and correction rather than punishment. He also discussed the increase in school safety initiatives that were put in place after the Parkland shooting.
Lastly, we met with the Director of Policy. She walked us through her job as serving as a oversight to all these various departments under policy and trying to ensure that everyone knows what the state is doing in the various sectors and how they might overlap. She helps the departments coordinate with each other and she is main person that reports back to the Governor.
We then ended the day with a tour of the Executive mansion, which was really cool. They were preparing the house for an event this evening so it was really interesting to see that setting as well.
Today was my last day working with the Governor’s office. I found this to be an incredible experience for me as I was able to see how policies are made on the local level and how they can have an influence on the federal system as well. I am so grateful for this opportunity, it was truly an incredible learning experience.
