For Our Partners
To achieve its goals, The Institute for Educational Renewal and Partnership (IERP) works, first and foremost, with NetSCOPE ‘s Partnership Council, which is comprised of representatives from nine South Carolina school districts and multiple community partners. Read more about the Partnership Council members.
Resources for Winthrop Faculty and School Partners
Goal 1: Agenda for Education in a Democracy
The Agenda for Education in a Democracy is a mission-driven, research-based agenda that seeks to:
- Foster in the nation's young the skills, dispositions, and knowledge necessary for effective participation in a social and political democracy.
- Ensure that the young have access to those understandings and skills required for satisfying and responsible lives.
- Develop educators who nurture the learning and well-being of every student.
- Ensure educators' competence in and commitment to serving as stewards of schools.
Find out more about the Agenda and the relationships among the various organizations affiliated with National Network of Educational renewal.
Goal 2: Build and maintain the Winthrop Partnership Network
NetLEAD Team
- NetLEAD Project Director: Dr. Mark Mitchell
- Administrative Assistant/Budget Analyst: Tara Comer
- Project Leader: Dean Jennie Rakestraw, Richard W. Riley College of Education
- University Partner: Dean Roger Weikle, Winthrop College of Business Administration
- Upstate School District Partners: Cherokee, Chester, Fairfield, and Union
- Pee Dee School District Partners: Dillon 1, 2, and 3, Marlboro, and Marion 1, 2, and 7
- Director, Corps of Mentors: Dr. Shirley Martin
- Director, Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, & Advancement: Dr. Gayle Sawyer
- Director, South Carolina Association of School Administrators (SCASA): Molly Spearman
- Research Associates: The Evaluation Group (TEG)
- Winthrop University Educational Leadership Faculty
NetSCOPE Partnership Network
Winthrop University
School Partners
Resource Districts
Olde English Consortium
The Olde English Consortium (OEC) is an educational collaborative seeking to promote excellence in education through collaboration. Serving the nine grant districts, the consortium supports over 70,000 students and 7,000 educators by facilitating communication, networking, and professional development opportunities.
Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement
The purpose of the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, & Advancement (CERRA) is to provide leadership in identifying, attracting, placing and retaining well-qualified individuals for the teaching profession in South Carolina. In doing so, CERRA will respond to changing needs for teachers from underrepresented populations, in critical subject fields and in under-served geographical areas. CERRA is a leader in effective mentoring and induction practices.
South Carolina Association of School Administrators
An alliance of diverse school leaders, the South Carolina Association of School Administrators (SCASA) advocates for superior education for the citizens of the state through legislative and policy influence, fostering support, building coalitions, and ensuring a cadre of effective leaders for schools.
Goal 3: Collaborative Inquiry
According to Jane L. David, Director of the Bay Area Research Group, Palo Alto, California, “Collaborative inquiry is among the most promising strategies for strengthening teaching and learning. At the same time, it may be one of the most difficult to implement.”
Both the National Academy of Science and the NCTM Standards recognize that successful scientific inquiry and mathematical problem solving require that students be critical and creative thinkers. Available by request: Collaborative Inquiry in Science, Math, and Technology offers a pedagogically sound vision of elementary classrooms in which students are encouraged to work together to construct meaning without the constraints of rigid subject matter. In their book, the authors, Adams and Hamm, illustrate that the best way to achieve results is by integrating math, science, and technology in a cooperative learning environment. They share numerous inquiry-based, thematic activities specifically designed to promote reflective thinking.
Through NetSCOPE, university and school faculty may apply for grants to support collaborative inquiry. If you have ideas for research and inquiry that will improve the teaching and learning at your school, but are not sure how to get started, please contact the NetSCOPE office for assistance (803-323-3080).
Goal 4: Professional Learning
For School Leaders
Please visit NASSP and theEducational Leadership site for professional development opportunities.
For Winthrop and School Faculty
The Center of Excellence to Prepare Teachers of Children of Poverty at Frances Marion University posts fifteen modules of study that were developed for use in courses in both the college of liberal arts and the school of education. These instructional units were designed to prepare 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. Find out more about the Center of Excellence.
The Center for African American Studies (CAAS) at Princeton University promotes understanding of the experiences, history and culture of African-descended people. The Center offers a variety of courses, lectures and research opportunities to more fully enrich the intellectual lives of students, faculty and members of the larger community. Find out more about the Center for African American Studies.