CCU launches unique educator-in-residence program in Georgetown County
Modeled on the idea of medical residencies, the 14-month program allows up to eight Master of Arts in Teaching students to complete their graduate degrees and get a head start on their teaching careers while connecting with the local community by living in a central location.
The program was created to address the statewide need to recruit and retain more teachers in at-risk schools, according to Edward Jadallah, dean of the Spadoni College. "The students become a part of the school and the community in this program, increasing the probably of getting hired and the likelihood that they will want to stay," said Jadallah.
"This is the perfect stepping stone between college and career," says educator-in-residence Sarah Vicini, who is student teaching at Carvers Bay High School. "The grad assistantship pairs us with faculty in the schools where we student-teach…. We have a fantastic apartment, a job, and roommates to help with homework. We have a close-knit community here."
Four apartments housing two students each have been created on the second floor of one of the buildings that CCU leases on Front Street in Georgetown. Jadallah and Jessica Handy, graduate programs manager in Spadoni College, are working on creating a similar program in Dillon County.
The educators-in-residence for the spring 2018 semester were Sarah Vicini, Nelda Glaze, Christopher Johnson and Isaac Barber.
"We're trying to address this head-on," says Jadallah. "Hopefully, we'll get people from Dillon or people who want to work and live in Dillon."
Recruitment is underway for the 2018-19 academic year. There's hope that the educator-in-residence program can be duplicated in the five-county region - Williamsburg, Dillon, Georgetown, Marion and Florence (Districts 1 and 5), according to Jadallah.
Click here for more information about the program.