Francis Marion University - School of Education

FMU Center of Excellence
Grant Proposal Narrative

1. Abstract

The purpose of the Center of Excellence to Prepare Teachers of Children of Poverty is to increase the achievement of children of poverty by improving the quality of undergraduate teacher preparation, graduate teacher preparation, and the professional development of in-service teachers. To accomplish this purpose, the Center will work toward achieving five major goals. They are to: (1) design and implement pre-service teacher education programs that attract qualified applicants and enable graduates to effectively teach children of poverty; (2) provide high quality professional development programs that include collaborative research activities and the use of existing research evidence to improve curriculum, instruction, and assessment in schools serving large numbers of children of poverty; (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; (4) develop a master’s degree program which leads to South Carolina certification as a Teacher of Children of Poverty and is linked with National Board Certification; and (5) become the premier resource in South Carolina for helping teachers learn how to provide a high quality education to all children of poverty.

To achieve these goals, Francis Marion University has pulled together an impressive set of partners. First and foremost, Francis Marion University will work collaboratively with the 18 school districts located in the Pee Dee Region. Three districts will be termed “partner districts” in that they will be intimately involved with, and contribute to, the activities of the Center. The other 15 districts will be called “participating districts" in that they will be able to participate in the outreach activities of the Center. Second, Francis Marion University will form a partnership with the Pee Dee Education Center. Established in 1967 and located within walking distance of the campus, the Board of Directors of the Pee Dee Education Center includes the Dean of the School of Education and the 18 district superintendents. Third, Francis Marion University will collaborate with two existing Centers of Excellence: the Center of Excellence for the Education and Equity of African-American Students, housed at Benedict College, and the Center of Excellence In Accelerating Learning, located at the College of Charleston. Fourth, in an effort to attract high quality teacher candidates, Francis Marion University will work with the South Carolina Center of Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement (CERRA). Finally, to achieve some degree of national visibility, Francis Marion University will partner with the National Center for the Education of Students Placed at Risk (CRESPAR).

The primary activities to be completed during the life of the Center include: (1) revising the undergraduate teacher education program, based on best practice research and practitioner insights, (2) training teachers in the conduct and use of research to increase their ability to make data-based decisions, (3) linking research directly with professional development, (4) helping teachers understand parents who live in poverty and the community resources that are available to them, and (5) seeking state certification for graduates of a to-be-developed Master’s Degree program in an effort to elevate the status of teachers of children of poverty.