Program Accolades
Club 2:45 - Fall 2008
Club 2:45 Wins SCAET Technology Innovative Program Award Honorable Mention
Fall 2008, Club 2:45 has won a SCAET Technology Innovative Program Award Honorable Mention in the Elementary School category. As a result of the award, Code Elementary will receive a certificate of recognition and a plaque from SCAET during the Conference Awards Luncheon November 7, 2008.
Led by Ms. Anna Baldwin, The Center for Excellence in Instructional Technology Training in the Eugene T. Moore School of Education has partnered with Code Elementary School in the development of an after school program called Club 2:45.
Club 2:45 is an exciting program that offers homework assistance and a variety of activities for more than 120 elementary students five days a week. Each enrichment activity is supported by technology, ranging from piano instruction in a state-of-the art Yamaha keyboarding lab to video production to science explorations using digital microscopes.
Center staff also provide hands-on technology instruction to parents of Club 2:45 children. In its first six months of operation, more than 130 Clemson students logged 830 volunteer hours with Club 2:45, offering assistance in the homework center and helping to supervise Club activities.
Funding for Club 2:45 was provided by the U.S. Department of Education under the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program.
For more information or to serve as a program volunteer, contact Anna Baldwin, the Club 2:45 program coordinator, at baldwi2@clemson.edu.
MAT students - August 2008
MAT
Noyce Scholarships were awarded to ten MAT students. The students are: Andrea Crain and Heather Hodges - in middle school math; Debbie Johnson, Penny Kirkpatrick, Karen Landers, and Amy Strickland - in middle school math and science; Samantha Litcher, Debbie Owens, Jennider Porter, and Leanne Simpson - in middle school science. They each receive a $10,000 scholarship and in turn must teach for 2 years at a high needs middle school in one of our partnering school districts, Greenville or Anderson 5.
Dr. Roy Jones, Director of Call Me MISTER® - Fall 2008
Call Me MISTER® named Top Ten Diversity Champion by the national publication, Diverse Issues in Higher Education.
In the August national publication Diverse Issues in Higher Education the Clemson-based Call Me MISTER® program has been named as one of their Ten Diversity Champions.
Dr. Roy Jones, Director of Call Me MISTER® has been
asked by the publication to participate as one of their 4 panelists for their upcoming Sept. 17th, 2008 Webinar to address Diversity in higher education.
Club 2:45, Center of Excellence in Instructional Technology Training, Spring 2008
The Center for Excellence in Instructional Technology Training in the Eugene T. Moore School of Education, has partnered with Code Elementary School to create an after school program called Club 2:45.
Club 2:45 is an exciting program that offers homework assistance and a variety of activities for more than 120 elementary students five days a week. Each enrichment activity is supported by technology, ranging from piano instruction in a state-of-the art Yamaha keyboarding lab to video production to science explorations using digital microscopes.
Center staff also provide hands-on technology instruction to parents of Club 2:45 children. In its first six months of operation, more than 130 Clemson students logged 830 volunteer hours with Club 2:45, offering assistance in the homework center and helping to supervise Club activities.
Funding for Club 2:45 was provided by the U.S. Department of Education under the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program.
For more information or to serve as a program volunteer, contact Anna Baldwin, the Club 2:45 program coordinator, at baldwi2@clemson.edu.
Link to news article.
Early Childhood Education Professional Development Series - Spring 2008
The Early Childhood Education program is hosts an annual professional development series workshop as a way of reciprocating with the early childhood education centers in the Upstate for their support in our teacher education program. The workshops are comprehensive in terms of topics, and each workshop is approved for state-level training credits.
The faculty and graduate students who are doing the workshops are from early childhood education, early childhood special education, health and physical education, and nursing. The participants are teachers, directors, and specialists from local child care centers, Head Start programs, and public school preschool and primary settings.
Learning Safari from Seneca is going to do an educational workshop on learning environments during lunch. Participants can earn up to 5 hours of professional development credits.Students from the SCAEYC early childhood student group will be providing assistance at the events, as will the master’s students in the SELECT program that is directed by Dr. Vivian Correa, professor of early childhood education and special education.
Topics include early literacy, inclusion, creativity, math and science, health and nutrition, caring for ill children, parent education and involvement, and music and movement.
For more information, click here.
Scholastic Donates Books to Reading Clinic in Linda Gambrell's Honor
Dr. Linda Gambrell, professor in reading, spoke at the Scholastic Book Summit for education leaders and administrators in Dallas, Texas, in late January 2008 on the topic of the Impact of Reading on Student Achievement. As a token of their appreciation, Scholastic Inc. has made a donation of 500 books to Clemson University's Eugene T. Moore School of Education Summer Reading Program (Reading Clinic).
Center of Excellence for Adolescent Literacy and Learning Spring Conference
Featuring Carol Santa, 1999-2000 president of International Reading Association, is to be held Saturday, March 15, 2008
The Eugene T. Moore School of Education's Center of Excellence for Adolescent Literacy and Learning will hold their 2008 Spring Conference Saturday, March 15, 2008 at the Clemson University's Madren Center.
Featured speaker is Carol Santa, co-owner and educational director of Montana Academy, a private residential school for troubled teenagers located on a remote Montana ranch. She has been a reading specialist, language arts coordinator, and university professor. She has published numerous books, journal articles and chapters for edited books. She developed Project CRISS, a content reading, writing and learning staff development program, used in middle and secondary schools throughout the country.
Carol is senior author of a cross-curricular reading program, Pegasus II, published by Kendall/Hunt Company. In 1999-2000 she was President of the International Reading Association, a professional organization of 90,000 teachers, administrators, and authors whose goal is to improve literacy. Carol will lead a morning workshop for teachers and an afternoon workshop for administrators.
For more information and conference registration, see link below to registration form or contact Sandy Cizmar, scizmar@clemson.edu, 864.656.5118, or Dr. Victoria Ridgeway Gillis, rvictor@clemson.edu, 864.656.5128.
For registration form, click here.
Entomology Club Donation to School of Education's Media Center - Spring 2008
Entomology club students; Joe Culin and John Morse, entomology;
Bill Fisk, teacher education; Stephanie Stocks, biological sciences.
On February 26, 2008, the Clemson University Entomology Society (Entomology Club), as part of their K-12 public school outreach program, donated a variety of resources to the Eugene T. Moore School of Education's Media Center in an effort to show future teachers in Clemson’s Education Department how insects can be easily incorporated into the standards and into the classroom. Stephanie Stocks, lecturer in biological sciences was instrumental in making it happen. Part of her job is to develop new labs and activities for Biology 109 which are designed specifically so that they can be used in a K-6 classroom. Being an entomologist, she knows that young children are fascinated by insects. If our future teachers can learn how to incorporate insects into their classroom (and how insects can be used to teach the standards), they will have a captivated audience.
These resources include reference books for budding entomologists (teachers and students alike), insect lesson plans, insect activities, and online insect resources. The Eugene T. Moore School of Education is appreciative to the Entomology Society and others who have given needed resources for future teachers.
Pictured here with Entomology Club students are Dr. Joe Culin and Dr. John Morse, professors in the Entomology, Soils, and Plant Sciences Department, Dr. Bill Fisk, Chair of Teacher Education, Stephanie Stocks, lecturer in the Department of Biological Sciences, Club President and graduate student in Entomology, Soils, and Plant Sciences, Richard Reeves
Call Me MISTER®
The Call Me MISTER program will be the subject of a documentary featuring several of its graduates to be aired Thursday, February 28th at 9:30 p.m. on the South Carolina ETV public broadcasting network.
The 30-minute documentary was produced, directed and narrated by Aretta Jenkins, founder of CornBread Chronicles, LLC. Jenkins, a Clemson University graduate and upstate oral historian tells the Call Me MISTER story by connecting the family and community roots of several graduates with their motivation to become successful teachers. Hayward Jean, Damon Qualls, Zebulun Dinkins and Justin Ballenger all have a powerful story to tell about survival, perseverance, inspiration and hope in the future. Jenkins states, “the context of their lives and their ability to transcend their sociological circumstances is both their motivation and secret for personal development and success.” Each of these young men can identify “key family members and mentors, who have protected and enriched their lives” stated Jenkins.
Dr. Roy Jones, Executive Director of the Clemson based Call Me MISTER program, agrees stating, “the nuclear and extended family, as well as the surrounding community is a significant reality in the lives of MISTERs and their potential effectiveness as teacher-leader advocates for education.”
The purpose of the Call Me MISTER (acronym for Mentors Instructing Students Toward Effective Role Models) initiative is to increase the pool of available teachers from a broader, more diverse background particularly among the State’s lowest performing elementary schools.
For More Information contact:
Aretta Jenkins: Telephone: 866-231-1264; email: 8662311264@gosolo.com or
Roy Jones: Telephone: 800-640-2657; email: royj@clemson.edu
Inquiry in Motion
The Eugene T. Moore School of Education will be holding a conference at CU-ICAR on February 4 entitled "Industry and Education: Working Together to Strengthen the Workforce of Tomorrow," in conjunction with the Inquiry in Motion project. The conference is supported through an EPSCOR grant. People from K-12, industry, higher education, and government will be represented. For more information, please contact Dr. Bob Horton, bhorton@clemson.edu or Dr. Jeff Marshall, marsha9@clemson.edu.
Please read the conference flyer for more information.
Early Childhood/Elementary Education & Student IRA
Melinda Long, author of How I Became a Pirate,
speaks to teachers and students on January 22nd.
NYT best-selling children's book author, Melinda Long, www.melindalongbooks.com, conducted a presentation and book-signing at the January meeting of the Clemson University Eugene T. Moore School of Education's International Reading Association (IRA) Student Council.
Melinda Long is a former middle school teacher and author of HOW I BECAME A PIRATE and PIRATES DON'T CHANGE DIAPERS, both of which were illustrated by Caldecott-honor artist, David Shannon.
Clemson education students, faculty, and children in attendance enjoyed hearing the author talk about how she became an author and the publication process. She read PIRATES DON'T CHANGE DIAPERS to the audience before taking time to sign books.
The purpose of the Clemson University (IRA) Student Council is to promote reading and reading instruction, and to provide pre-service teachers the opportunity to join a professional organization.
For more information contact Sarah Ashley sdashle@clemson.edu, the president of the Clemson University IRA Student Council, or Dr. Jonda C. McNair jmcnair@clemson.edu, the faculty advisor.
Student IRA Group Formed - Fall 2007
On October 11, 2007 education majors held an organizational meeting to elect student officers and form a student council affiliated with the International Reading Association. The name of the organization is the Clemson University International Reading Association (IRA) Student Council and its purpose is to promote reading, reading instruction, and to provide pre-service teachers the opportunity to join a professional organization. Membership is open to students, faculty, and staff members of Clemson University. Melinda Long, the author of the NYT best selling picture book, HOW I BECAME A PIRATE, has agreed to present for the council in the spring of 2008.
2007 SCATE Conference, Greenville, SC - Fall 2007
The 2007 SCATE (SC Association of Teacher Educators) was held on October 25 and 26, 2007 in Greenville, SC. President Bea Bailey and VP/President Elect, Lienne Medford, both of Clemson's Eugene T. Moore School of Education, reported that one-hundred-fifty teacher educators, graduate students, undergraduate students, and public educators attended representing 29 of 30 SC institutions of higher education with teacher training programs. Presenters were from 18 SC and two out-of-state institutions. Dr. Boyce Williams, vice president of NCATE was a featured speaker. Dr. Roy Jones, director of the Call Me MISTER program, was keynote speaker. The 2007 coonference also saw the return of the hard copy edition of the Teacher Education Journal of SC. This special printing was sponsored by the Eugene T. Moore School of Education.
Teacher Cadet College Day
October 18th, 2007 the Eugene T. Moore School of Education hosted a college day for Teacher Cadet Students from local high schools - Daniel, Liberty, JL Mann, and Berea High. The Teacher Cadets were introduced to the Clemson University undergraduate experience by attending teacher education, meeting with an admissions representatives, and taking on a guided tour of campus.
Charles H. Houston Center for the Black Experience in Education - Fall 2007
Starlett Craig, Director of the Office of Academic Excellence in the Charles H. Houston Center for the Study of the Black Experience in Education, was featured in Diverse Issues in Higher Education. Please read more.
Counselor Education-Student Affairs - Fall 2007
On Friday, Oct 19, 2007 the South Carolina College Personnel Association (SCCPA) held their annual fall drive-in conference at Furman University in Greenville, SC. Several current and former students from the Clemson Counselor Education/Student Affairs graduate program participated in this drive-in workshop. Jeff Brown, 2000 graduate, is serving as President of SCCPA, and current students Teri Cugliari served as conference logistic chair and Nicole Lenez served as Program Co-Chair for the event. Alumni of the program presenting programs at the drive-in were Rebecca Atkinson presented on “Creating Our Identify in Student Affairs”. Current students presenting were: Jeni Dietch presented “Including Internationals”; Alexa Simone and Jeff Kenney presented on “Campus Folklore: Dispelling or Defending the Collegiate Myth?; Emily Willis and Bill Burress presented on “International Identity”.
Elementary & Early Childhood Education - Beatrice’s Goat - Fall 2007
Beatrice Biira, author of Beatrice's Goat,
speaks to teachers and students on October 10 & 11.
It doesn’t always take much to make a difference. For Beatrice Biira, it took a small goat. The Ugandan will take her message of sustainability and hope to teachers, future teachers and even some elementary school children Oct. 10-11 when she visits Clemson University.
Heiffer International gave a goat to Biira’s impoverished family in a small African village when she was 9 years old and longed for a chance to attend school. The goat provided enough milk for the family and some extra to sell, enabling Biira to attend a local school, which led to a scholarship to a New England prep school and now enrollment at Connecticut College. Her story is told and illustrated in a children’s book called “Beatrice’s Goat.”
Biira will meet with faculty and students from the Eugene T. Moore School of Education on Oct. 11 for a lecture at 5 p.m. in the Palmetto Ballroom at Clemson’s University Union. About 100 Clemson seniors in elementary education will take the book to the schools where they are student teaching. The elementary school teachers working with those student teachers also are invited to the event.
One goal is to use the book to teach sustainability principles to elementary students, according to Angela Eckhoff, assistant professor of early childhood education and an organizer of Biira’s visit.
“We’re using this book as a jumping off point to teach sustainability,” Eckhoff said. “Our goal is to help young learners understand the importance that they play in creating a future with a healthy environment and a strong economy.”
Biira’s visit to Clemson is part of the university’s participation in Focus the Nation, a program dedicated to finding global warming solutions for America. In addition to her visit with educators, Biira will deliver a personal perspective about sustainability issues in Uganda at the Storm Thurmond Institute on Oct. 10 at 7:30 p.m. in the Jim Self Auditorium. That address is open to the public.
The Clemson visit is the first of its kind for Biira, but she has appeared on CBS’s 60 Minutes and the Oprah Winfrey Show.
“Beatrice’s Goat,” written by Page McBrier and illustrated by Lori Lohstoeter, is widely available in bookstores and on-line.
--View article in Clemson World Magazine
Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) - Grant Award - Fall 07
The National Science Foundation Robert Noyce Scholarship program has awarded the Clemson University Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program in middle grades education almost $500,000 over the next four years to produce science and math teachers for South Carolina. Forty Noyce Scholars will receive $10,000 each to help them with expenses related to gaining their master’s degrees and teaching credentials. These recipients will then each teach for two years at a high-need middle school in either Greenville or Anderson County School District 5, the two school districts that partnered with Clemson on this grant.
To be eligible for a Noyce Scholarship, recipients must be accepted into the Clemson MAT program and must enter the program with an undergraduate or graduate STEMs major. STEMs stands for science, technology, engineering, and math. Science majors include biology and the related life sciences, chemistry, physics, geology, meteorology, and astronomy. Technology includes computer science, and mathematics includes statistics. All areas of engineering are eligible for consideration. Nursing and health science majors may receive consideration if a transcript evaluation determines eligibility.
Noyce Scholars will be part of the Clemson MAT program, a one year to 16-month 36-hour master’s program based at the Greenville University Center. The program is primarily for career changers who decide to go into education as a second career. The ages in the present cohort range from 22 to 60 and the mean age is 31. The MAT prepares teachers for initial certification in math, science, language arts, and social studies for grades 5-8. There is currently a shortage of highly qualified middle school teachers in South Carolina. The MAT has a 100% initial hire rate for all graduates who have successfully completed all program requirements. MAT candidates who have worked for three years may qualify for lottery revenue Career Changers’ Loans of up to $15,000 that are forgiven 20% a year if they teach in South Carolina. Those applying directly out of undergraduate programs may qualify for a similar Teacher’s Loan of $5,000, also forgiven over five years of teaching.
The MAT is in its fifth year, having graduated 128 students in four cohorts. Candidates are accepted into the program based on transcript evaluation, interview, and standardized test scores. A limited number of spaces are available, usually 40, and candidates attend classes with this same group of students for their entire MAT experience.
As per their agreement with the Noyce Foundation, the Clemson MAT program will be actively recruiting applicants for their 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 cohorts. Representatives of the MAT will be contacting area industries, and through their affiliation with the nationally recognized Call Me MISTER program, historically black colleges and universities that might have interested qualified candidates.
Individuals interested in being considered for admission to the MAT and/or a Clemson Noyce Scholarship should contact MAT program coordinator Dr. Lienne Medford at 864-250-8891 Lienne@clemson.edu or fellow MAT faculty member and Noyce Grant coordinator Dr. Elaine Wiegert at 864-250-8893 ewieger@clemson.edu.
The MAT is also affiliated with the Clemson SC Life Program, represented by its director, Dr. Barbara Spezial. The SC Life Program has provided science content classes for each of the MAT cohorts. Dr. Speziale is one of the committee members responsible for choosing Noyce Scholars.
Ed Leadership - Fall 07
Dr. Lamont A. Flowers, Distinguished Professor of Educational Leadership and Executive Director of the Charles H. Houston Center, was recently appointed to serve as the Interim Chair of the President's Council on Community and Diversity at Clemson University.
Ed Leadership - Principal Induction - Fall 07
From September 16-19, 2007, The Eugene T. Moore School of Education's faculty of Educational Leadership hosted the 2007-2008 Principal Induction Program Fall Institute at the Hilton Garden Inn and Suites in Anderson, South Carolina. This year marks the second year that the Clemson Faculty of Educational Leadership has coordinated the event with the South Carolina Department of Education’s Office of School Leadership.
2007-2008 Principal Induction Program Fall Institute
The Principal Induction Program (PIP) was initiated by the SC Legislature to serve as a strategic component in meeting the instructional leadership requirements of the Education Accountability Act of 1998. PIP participation is required for all newly appointed principals. Instructional leadership is a major part of SC principals’ duties to improve students, teachers, and schools’ academic performance. PIP supports South Carolina's public school districts in providing support and professional development for first-year principals.
According to the South Carolina Department of Education Website, the PIP seeks three outcomes for participants: Training - The program includes a residential institute and six follow up session s to provide training in the leadership and management skills essential to success in the principal ship. If a participant meets all course requirements, he or she may earn 3 hours of recertification credit or 60 hours of renewal credit; Support - Each participant is paired with an experienced principal who serves as a mentor throughout the first two years; Collegiality - Through the Academy, participants form a network for sharing resources and ideas. Follow up meetings provide a forum for exchanging ideas. For more information about the Principal Induction Program, please visit the SC Department of Education Website, http://ed.sc.gov/agency/offices/pd/pip.html
Student Affairs - Fall 07
On October 5th the Student Personnel Association is hosting an event called "CU in Student Affairs." The program is for junior and senior undergraduate students to learn more about a possible career in student affairs and the Eugene T. Moore student affairs masters program in counselor education. See http://people.clemson.edu/~spa for more information and a registration form.
Elementary Education - Fall 07
The students in EDEL 488 (Spring 07) carved a Writing Workshop "cozy" space in the corner of the room near the window. They were excited about the possibilities in establishing space for writing, especially as consideration was given to ways they will negotiate space in "their" future classrooms. From this cohort, a small group of elementary ed students worked on a community-based project for their Language Arts course in elementary education. They identified a local business, Spill the Beans, Clemson, SC where they redefined and enhanced a child-friendly space "Cozy Corner Cave", with children's books, writing props and tools, soft toys, puzzles and even draped a curtain to soften concrete walls and columns. The "cave" area allows children to explore, relax, and lick cones while their families spend leisurely time enjoying ice cream at the same site. The students involved: Jamie Long, Erica Elkins, Liz Kuester, and Meredith Davis. This project extends to this semester (Fall 07) where we will identify sites (businesses, schools, hospitals, etc.) to enhance reading and writing opportunities for young children.
Ed Leadership - The Palmetto Ph. D. Project - Fall 07
The Palmetto Ph. D. Project held a three-day workshop July 23-25, 2007, that focused on mentoring and GRE preparation for potential doctoral students. The Palmetto Ph.D. Project is an innovative educational program designed to encourage more African Americans in South Carolina to pursue doctoral degrees. The goals of the project include a series of learning activities associated with pursuing a doctoral degree. The principal investigator for the Palmetto Ph.D. Project is Dr. Frankie Keels Williams. Dr. Lamont A. Flowers, serves as co-principal investigator.
Career and Technology Education Education News - Spring 2007
The South Carolina Technology Student Association (SCTSA) held its annual conference March 2-3, 2007 at Clemson University. Over 225 students, teachers, and parents from 15 schools around the state attended the conference. Middle and high school students competed in over 40 technology-related events including robotics, system control, flight endurance, web design, desktop publishing, structural engineering, CO2 dragster design, and computer-aided design. Hal Harrison, clinical-faculty member of secondary education in the Eugene T. Moore School of Education coordinated the conference and over 25 teacher education faculty and students assisted in conference logistics and event judging.
ICSLTE - Service-learning conference draws from six continents
Clemson's International Center for Service-Learning in Teacher Education (ICSLTE) hosted its first international conference on service-learning in teacher education in Brussels, Belgium, in conjunction with the Thomas Green Clemson University Brussels Center. For more information click here.
Reading - Collaboration pays dividends - Summer 2007
The Anderson One Reading M.Ed. Cohort
Candidates in the Anderson One Reading M.Ed. cohort finished their coursework in June, completing their degree requirements. They took ED F 808 [Educational Tests and Measurements] taught by Dr. Gail Delicio and READ 860 [Reading Instruction in the Elementary School] taught by Dr. Victoria Gillis. Candidates selected a hot topic (What’s hot, what’s not for 2007. (February 2007). Reading Today, 24(4), 1) in literacy research and completed a joint research project for both courses. They shared their study results in a Research Poster Forum in the recently renovated Tillman Hall entryway on June 26, 2007. Dr. Delicio provided instructional support in designing topic-specific assessments, and in creating and plotting presentation posters. Dr. Gillis facilitated candidates’ inquiry into the research and classroom implications related to their topics. Candidates discussed their posters and answered questions for Forum attendees. Various groups - including Clemson faculty, students, school principals, and Eugene T. Moore and members of his family - had an opportunity to interact with the candidates. In his role as the new Director of the Eugene T. Moore School of Education and Associate Dean for Educational Collaborations, Dr. Mike Padilla interacted with Forum attendees, viewed candidates’ posters, and discussed research results with them.
Early Childhood Education - Spring 2007
Dr. Vivian Correa, early childhood education and special education faculty member, just received news from the USDOE and the Office of Special Education. Programs that an early childhood special education training grant was funded. The project name was: Supporting Expertise for Leaders in Early Childhood Teaching (SELECT). Up to 8 students will be recruited each year for a Master's degree program. Dr. Sara Goldberg-Hamblin will be the Project Director and will work on the project 50% time. The grant is funded at $199,999 per year for four years and supports tuition, books, and travel for students. Several classes in our traditional graduate special education program are listed as part of the 12 month curriculum.
The Digital Express - Spring 2007
CHE Academic Affairs & Licensing staff confirmed continuation funding for the Improving Teacher Quality Education Grant Program including year two (4/07 - 6/08) funding of $93,750 for the Digital Express project under PI Chris Peters and Director Anna Baldwin of the Center of Excellence for Instructional Technology Training housed in Teacher Education in the Eugene T. Moore School of Education at Clemson University.
Call Me MISTER - Spring 2007
Call Me MISTER has been extended an invitation to the Helping America’s Youth Conference sponsored by the White House. This invitation only event is hosted by First Lady Laura Bush and is endorsed by the U.S. Department of Education. Of course we are deeply honored to have received this invitation as an acknowledgment of the good work of Call Me MISTER as well as the other exemplary programs that will be in attendance. The conference is a regional event that will be held April 11 and 12 in Nashville TN. The Call Me MISTER program expects to have a contingent of 4 attending the conference which will include Dr. Roy Jones and Winston Holton as well as two of our MISTERs who have not yet been confirmed. Please visit the following link to the Helping America’s Youth web page for more information on the program: www.helpingamericasyouth.gov.
Reading Recovery - Spring 2007
Reading Recovery was recently recognized as an effective early reading intervention after a 3-year independent study by the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC), a branch of the United States Department of Education (USDE) and the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). See http://www.whatworks.ed.gov.
Reading Recovery is a short-term reading intervention for first graders with the lowest reading achievement and is used in 7,500 schools in the U.S. In Reading Recovery, students work one-to-one with a specially trained teacher for 30 minutes each day. For students who complete the full series of lessons, 75% learn to read at grade level within 12-20 weeks and then continue their progress with good classroom teaching. In the 2005-2006 school year, the average Reading Recovery teacher taught 8.1 Reading Recovery students and 41.4 students outside Reading Recovery.
Unlike commercial programs, Reading Recovery is a not-for-profit partnership of schools and universities. Since its introduction in the U.S. in 1984, Reading Recovery has served more than 1.6 million children, making it one of the nation's oldest scientifically based reading interventions. More than 15% of the nation's elementary schools with first grades now use Reading Recovery as their safety net intervention for children who might otherwise not learn to read. To learn more about Reading Recovery and its research base, visit www.readingrecovery.org.
Call Me MISTER - Spring 2007
From Inside Clemson:
The nationally recognized Call
Me MISTER program that recruits primarily qualified African-American men
to become teachers will delve into new territory with an initiative to mentor
African-American boys in middle school. Call Me MISTER, based at Clemson University
and administered through 10 campuses in South Carolina, is a program to recruit
and train elementary school teachers.
Program director Roy Jones announced Project Middle Passage today at Call Me
MISTER's state summit at Clemson University's Madren Conference Center, with
all 150 MISTERs in attendance.
Through a $99,800 grant from the Lumina Foundation for Education's McCabe Fund,
Call Me MISTER will launch Project Middle Passage among a select group of middle
schools in Pickens, Oconee, Anderson and Greenville counties.
"This is about mentoring and tutoring African-American boys and hopefully
increasing their chances of pursuing post-secondary education," Jones said. "They
won't all necessarily go into teaching, but we hope they will go on to college."
The project will provide standardized test preparation, mentoring and tutorial
services for approximately 100 African-American middle school boys in grades
6-8 during the course of two academic years and one summer.
The program officially launches January 2007 at the selected schools.
Project Middle Passage will heighten awareness of future academic and career
opportunities for students by working with schools, parents, local colleges,
social services agencies and individuals.
Today's Call Me MISTER Summit included a keynote address from Gary Burgess, superintendent
of Anderson School District 4.
There are 150 men currently enrolled in the Call Me MISTER program and 20 already
teaching in South Carolina classrooms. When everyone currently enrolled is in
the classroom, half of the black men teaching in South Carolina elementary schools
will be MISTERs.
For archived program accolades, click here.
