francis marion university - school of education

fmu center of excellence
itq grant proposal narrative

1. abstract

the pee dee region of south carolina encompasses some of the state’s most at-risk children. for the 18 districts in the region, the median poverty index is 78.9%, while statewide it is 65.7%. the extent of poverty in this region is so great that it impacts negatively on student achievement. this high concentration of poverty in a single geographic area provides both a challenge and an opportunity. located near the geographic center of the pee dee region, francis marion university (fmu) has demonstrated its willingness to face that challenge and use it as an opportunity to focus the combined resources of the university and its partners. in 2004, fmu established a center of excellence to prepare teachers of children of poverty (the center). through a combination of resources from the center, the college of liberal arts and three local school districts (marion 2, dillon 2 and marion 7), the proposed project would meet newly discovered needs of the children of poverty.

on-going discussions with school personnel revealed a growing realization that teachers should align their own classroom instruction and assessments to newly adopted sc curriculum standards. this led to an awareness of the need to develop high quality instructional units of study in response to these standards. this project would draw together 24 teachers (three from each grade level, grades one through eight) from the partner schools to participate in 13 weekends of intensive immersion in curriculum development over a period of seven months. the purpose of the immersion sessions is to learn the conceptual framework for developing high quality instructional units, which are standards-based and highly effective for teaching children of poverty. these units would align with the new state standards and offer a unique approach of study using bloom’s taxonomy. the sessions would be led by fmu consultant faculty under the guidance of dr. lorin anderson, an educator and psychologist who was a student of benjamin bloom.

upon completion, each curriculum unit will be field tested in the partner school districts and revised as a part of an ongoing process of development. teachers will communicate with peers and consultant faculty to refine instructional units, keep journals to determine impact on teaching and learning, and do self-assessments to document changes in teacher practice and student achievement. this project will impact change and have a profound influence on classroom and school practices.

the proposed project will be managed with a commitment to a continuous improvement process. project components will be constantly monitored and modifications will be considered on the basis of data-driven decisions. any program component not meeting its objectives will be given top priority for possible modifications. all quantitative and qualitative project data will be available to other groups wishing to implement similar projects. completed units will be put on cds and disseminated in the pee dee region by the center and ultimately throughout the state by the south carolina department of education.