Partnership in Education Placing Teacher Candidates in the Urban School Kathie Carwile Morgan, ED.D. Liberty University Pi Lambda Theta 2007 Leadership Conference Energy Through Synergy July 25-28, 2007 Richmond, VA

The First Partnership School WILLIAM MARVIN BASS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

The Best Principal in Virginia Mr. Laverne Marshall Principal Bass Elementary School

The Teacher Candidates

The University Population Residential Student Enrollment Fall 2007 – 10,500  Ethnicity on Campus African American 10% American Indian 1 % Asian 3% Hispanic3% White79% Not Listed4% States Represented 50  Countries Represented 72 Top 4 (other than USA) Canada, Korea, Kenya, Brazil

The Need Although the university represents broad ethnicity, the students entering teacher education come from non-diverse backgrounds. In an effort to prepare our candidates we want them to be exposed to the urban environment and not to fear it.

The Mission Liberty University has established a “Partnership in Education” with city schools placing sophomore and junior level teacher candidates in the urban school environment to introduce and encourage entry level teachers to consider the inner-city as a teaching option and prepare them for teaching children of diversity.

Teacher Candidates interact with faculty and students

Practicum Objectives: Allow pre-service teachers to experience the urban elementary classroom. Develop habits of professionalism. Experience designing and teaching one reading lesson that incorporates language-arts instruction and addresses English and a content area SOL.

The Teacher Candidate Is Required To: Observe Aid the Classroom teacher Develop a professional relationship with students, classroom teacher, school administration, & staff Design a lesson that addresses the VA SOLs for English and, where appropriate, a content area SOL and meets the NCATE standards

Further Objectives Teach at least one lesson Evaluate and Assess Performance Classroom Student’s Learning Personal Performance Maintain, and Submit a signed Final log of hours and self-evaluation Collect, and Submit the Classroom Teacher’s Final Evaluation

What does the Classroom Teacher Do? Provide a welcoming environment. Answer questions Allow the Teacher Candidate to assist: Working with small groups Grading papers Supervision of students Teaching the lesson prepared

The Classroom Teacher will… Assign an English Standard of Learning for the lesson to be prepared and taught at the end of the placement. Preferably one that addresses the Put Reading First initiative. Reading: phonemic awareness, phonics, comprehension, vocabulary or fluency. Assign a specific time for teaching the lesson.

The Classroom teacher will… Evaluate the teacher candidate’s lesson. Complete the Evaluation: Sign log of hours and evaluation Give log and evaluation to the Student Teacher at the last visit, in order for the final grade to be assigned.

Findings Teacher candidates: Lose their fear of the urban environment Unreservedly praise the schools Develop a compassion and love for minority children Decide that they could teach in the city schools.

Further benefits The school system asks for the teacher candidates to return. Has on occasion hired before student teaching. Hiring in the urban schools from the graduates has increased. A strong alliance has developed between the university and the local school system.

And that’s it!