Francis Marion University - School of Education

FMU Center of Excellence

Goals and Activities: Goal 3

Goal 3. Equip teachers with the knowledge and skills needed to work effectively with parents, health and human service providers, and other community resources to meet the social, emotional, and physical needs of children of poverty and to serve as advocates for them in the school, community, and state.

One of the lessons learned from the failure of school reform efforts in communities inhabited by large numbers of children of poverty is the lack of what has been termed “local capacity” to make, support, and sustain the reform efforts. For the Center of Excellence to be successful, then, it must work toward building local capacity. In simplest terms, local capacity is the ability of those who live and work in a community to solve the problems of the community without having to rely upon outside experts. The activities planned by the Center are designed to cultivate such capacity in communities with large numbers of families living in poverty.

Click on the activities below to learn more about the work of the Center of Excellence toward Goal 3.

GOAL 3 – ACTIVITIES

Activity 1: School-Parent-Community (SPC) Liaison & National Network of Partnership Schools Project

Activity 2: Determination of how to best reach and help parents in the community

Activity 3: Resource list for families living in poverty & Health Resources Manual

Activity 4: Resource manual multi-media training program

Activity 5: Grant proposals for additional school, home, community resources