The News and Observer from Raleigh, North Carolina • A1

UP TO $167 IN COUPONS $2 RALEIGH, N.C. FINAL EDITIONOCTOBER 7, 2012 newsobserver.com HIGH HOOPS HOPE FOR BIG THREE Sports How to a cheap shot Work Money Wolfpack pulls out win against Seminoles Sports weather chance precip. Detailed forecast on 8B Index Employment Puzzles Obituaries Books Editorials A Vol. 2012, No. 281 Third in a series By Lynn Bonner For all the talk about how schools need to change to meet the needs of a modern work- place, public education never really stands still.

In the past five years, North Carolina school districts have added speciality schools focused on science, technology, engi- neering and mathematics and made it possi- ble for more students to earn two-year col- lege degrees all part of a push to increase high school graduation rates and make stu- dents ready for the workforce. The two major-party candidates for gover- nor both stress close connections between education and business but approach the question of improving educa- tion from different angles. Democrat Walter Dalton would extend already estab- lished paths, while Republican Pat education pro- posals have the potential to re- make the public educa- tion system from kindergar- ten through college. a i schools to offer two diploma tracks, an academic path and a vocational path, as a way to re- duce the dropout rate among students who have no interest in pursuing a four-year college degree. The state celebrated in August a high school graduation rate of more than 80 percent, but still, too many stu- dents graduating, McCrory said in an interview.

force-feeding too many kids into a curriculum that match their skill set or what the marketplace he said. McCrory wants performance pay for teach- ers and an education system oriented toward market demands. If businesses need engi- neers, for example, but new law school grad- uates find jobs, public universities should encourage enrollment in science and reduce available law school slots, he said. have a disconnect between the educa- tion policies and our commerce said McCrory, a former Charlotte mayor, who is senior director of strategic initiatives Election 2012 DALTON VS. MCCRORY Governor candidates diverge on education CHUCK LIDDY A Vance-Granville Community College program lets Jakara Steed, 15, and peers earn diplomas and associate degrees.

SEE EDUCATION, PAGE 4A Inside Compare: See how the candidates differ. 4A Online More elec- tion news: Follow the campaign trail at nando.com/ elections. By Thomasi McDonald RALEIGH In the last couple of decades, combating teen crime and gangs in North Carolina attracted the attention of legislators, policymakers and a governor. Now evidence that their solutions are working. While overall violent crimes have declined by nearly 14 percent in the state since 2002, the number of teens under 16 charged with violent crimes has dropped by nearly 37 per- cent.

And while overall property crime dropped 4.5 percent during that period, the arrests among teens under 16 is down about 40 percent. Juvenile crime is down nationally, but in North Carolina the downward trend is more than double the nation- al average. That has prompted some to call the state a model for dealing with juvenile delinquency and youth crime prevention. By emphasizing approaches to pre- vention, intervention, treatment and for troubled youth, Carolina has developed a na- Reforms, local programs drive down juvenile crime TAKAAKI IWABU Trayvion Amerson, 15, left, and his brother Fredrick Amerson, 16, take a break from their court-mandated gym training. SOURCE: N.C.

Department of Justice The News Observer Juvenile arrests going down Arrests among teens under 16 in North Carolina have declined at a far faster pace than crime overall. '11'10'09'08'07'06'05'04'03'02 '10'09'08'07'06'05'04'03'02'01 Violent crime Property crime 919 6,297 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1,000 0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 7,000 583 3,704 SEE YOUTH CRIME, PAGE 16A STATE LOCKS UP FEWER CHILDREN, NOW SEEN AS NATIONAL MODEL Online Read more: See the latest felo- ny arrests in the Triangle at nando.com/ arrests and find more stories about crime and safety at nan- do.com/crime. By Mandy Locke CHAPEL HILL Faith Hedgepeth spent much of her last night like a typ- ical college student, cramming at the library before blowing off steam with friends at a Chapel Hill dance club. The path that led the 19-year-old UNC-Chapel Hill student to the Trian- gle and to her death was anything but ordinary. roommate found her cold and unresponsive on Sept.

7 in the bedroom of the apartment they shared near Durham. In the month since, Chapel Hill police have been close-lipped about their investigation, saying only that they believe her death was random. As the days pass with no arrest and limited information, her family grows weary, looking for clues among the clusters of friends she had knitted to- gether over the past two years in Cha- pel Hill and Durham. Her father, Ro- land Hedgepeth, ticks through every conversation and visit with his daugh- ter from the past two years, looking for anything that could explain how his daughter met such a violent end. Some emergency radio communica- tion between responders referred to A bright light goes dark COURTESY OF ROLAND HEDGEPETH This photo was taken in June, the last time Roland Hedgepeth saw his daughter Faith alive.

Faith Hedgepeth was getting her life together; her death is a mystery SEE HEDGEPETH, PAGE 17A Get to know the neighborhood. Cary-Searstone 919-653-2501 Cary-Stonebridge 919-249-1300 Chapel 919-913-0900 Falls of Neuse 919-866-4600 Glenwood 919-719-2900 Wake 919-453-5700 Allen Tate Market Report provides neighborhood-specific information about housing activity and trends including For Sale and Sold properties. Sign up now on allentate.com. triangle.dealsaver.comTODAY’S DEAL NOFO the Pig, Raleigh, $20 for $40 worth of food and drink for lunch or dinner.