Francis Marion University - School of Education

FMU Center of Excellence

Goals and Activities: Goal 1

Goal 1: Design and implement pre-service teacher education programs that attract qualified applicants and enable graduates to effectively teach children of poverty.

Center of Excellence work began in Grant Year 1 (2004-2005) with a concentration on Goal 1 – Pre-service Teacher Education. This goal focuses upon the use of best practice, research, and practitioner insights to revise the existing FMU undergraduate teacher education program in a manner that would then attract qualified teacher candidates and more effectively prepare them to teach children of poverty.

Carefully designed revisions in pre-service teacher education courses will better prepare FMU undergraduates for a career of teaching in schools that serve high numbers of children who are at risk because they live in homes of high poverty. Regional school districts will benefit because FMU teacher candidates that exit these revised programs will be more skilled and better prepared for available instructional positions. The pilot implementation of these modules will begin in Fall 2005, and will continue each semester. On-going research studies are planned that will enable the School of Education to track students and to monitor the success of these strategies.

Click on the activities below to learn more about the work of the Center of Excellence toward Goal 1.

GOAL 1 – ACTIVITIES

Activity 1: Selection of Clinical Faculty members

Activity 2: Formation of Pre-Service Teacher Education Task Force

Activity 3: Pre-Service Teacher Education Task Force Retreat

Pre-Service Teacher Education Modules

Activity 4: Modification of existing pre-service teacher education program

Activity 5: Organize and supplement recruitment activities

Activity 6: Work with partner districts to provide opportunities for after-school and
summer employment of pre-service teachers as tutors

Activity 7: Design a marketing plan that highlights the new pre-service teacher education program