Partnership Spotlight

April 2024

Department of Secondary and Middle Grades Education and
Campbell High School

The Department of Secondary and Middle Grades Education (SMGE) is proud to partner with Campbell High School to facilitate a Paired Placement model for YCE1 and YCE2. The goal of the paired placement partnership is to learn the most efficient ways to implement student teaching so that teacher candidates develop proficiency with implementing the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM, 2014) eight mathematics teaching practices, along with other equitable mathematics teaching strategies. In the mathematics paired-placement model—often referred to as co-teaching or collaborative student teaching—is a structure in which two secondary mathematics teacher candidates are placed together in the same classroom under the supervision of a single mentor teacher. The mentor teacher serves as a model and resource, facilitating the professional growth of both teacher candidates. The teacher candidates work closely together, planning and delivering instruction collaboratively. This trio of teachers works collaboratively to address student learning as a team (Leatham & Peterson, 2010).

There are opportunities for each teacher candidate to lead the class, create individual lesson plans, and manage different parts of the curriculum, but they consistently support each other’s teaching. This model is designed to foster collaboration and peer learning among the teacher candidates. It proves beneficial because it mirrors real-world teaching scenarios where collaboration with colleagues is often essential. It also helps reduce the isolation that some teacher candidates feel during traditional, solo teaching placements.

The SMGE partnership, under the leadership of Dr. Belinda Edwards embodies a shared commitment to advancing teacher preparation models. Together Campbell High School and KSU are collaboratively shaping a brighter future in education.

March 2024

Fulton County School District and iTeach

Teach is partnering with the Fulton County School District on developing a "Mobile Learning Experience" to teach 5th grade science standards. iTeach consulted with the district for two years to plan, design, outfit, and operate their new “Mobile Learning Experience”. iTeach wrote the curriculum and is now implementing the curriculum with a variety of 5th grade classes. On the bus, iTeach conducts various experiments with the students to reinforce 5th grade science standards. The Fulton County School District science test scores are improving since iTeach has been working with them on this project. As a result of the success, Fulton may expand the program next year to the entire county and include both 5th and 8th grade science classes.

Click on the link below to learn more about the partnership in a news article by the AJC.
https://www.ajc.com/neighborhoods/fulton-puts-learning-on-wheels/LC2R6UES4BFOZOFYYJX5R2KBPE/

February 2024

PAGE and the Bagwell College of Education

For almost 20 years, the Bagwell College of Education has collaborated with PAGE (Professional Association of Georgia Educators) to sponsor the Georgia Academic Decathlon. GAD is a high school academic competition where teams across the state compete in their region for the opportunity to come to the State Decathlon. Decathletes test in areas of Essay, Testing in 7 areas (Art, Economics, Literature, Mathematics, Music, Science and Social Science), Interview, and Speech. There is also a team competition called Super Quiz where teams work together in rounds answering questions including all subject areas. Each team is comprised of 3-A, 3-B, and 3-C students. Top decathletes in each area and grade division receive medals at a banquet at the end of competition. The winning team goes on to represent Georgia at the US Academic Decathlon. Each year there is a different theme. The season starts with the teams coming to KSU for fall workshop where KSU faculty host sessions on the various topics for the year.

GAD is held each year on the last weekend in February and relies on volunteers for judges, proctors, and speech timers. For more information and to volunteer, please go to: https://www.pageinc.org/gad-volunteer-information-2/

January 2024

Department of Elementary and Early Childhood Education and Fair Oaks Elementary School

The Department of Elementary and Early Childhood Education is excited to partner with Fair Oaks Elementary School. Led by the dedicated administration of Mrs. Cathie Seibert, Fair Oaks, a Title I elementary school in Cobb County, has embraced a transformative model for teaching and learning to meet the unique needs of its student population. This innovative collaboration entails weekly onsite early literacy classes conducted by Dr. Virginie Jackson. KSU scholars, in turn, apply their acquired skills to practical scenarios, fostering a dynamic link between research-based learning and real-world teaching experiences. This partnership exemplifies a shared commitment to advancing teacher preparation models with Fair Oaks and KSU collaboratively shaping a brighter future in education--one transformative teacher education literacy class at a time.

Spotlight Year 2023
December 2023

Bagwell College of Education and Jumpstart

The Bagwell College of Education is excited to partner with the nonprofit organization, Jumpstart, to advance equitable learning outcomes for young children in underserved communities. Shereen Zimmerman is the new site manager for Jumpstart housed in Bagwell. Shereen is recruiting KSU students to deliver high-quality programming to preschool children. The goals of Jumpstart are to:

Serve students who attend ECE centers and daycare centers in the KSU community through a lens of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Increase Kindergarten readiness for students in Pre-K programs using rich literacy learning sessions.
Increase teacher readiness and expertise in the Birth through Kindergarten Program through training, planning, modeling, and delivering effective literacy assessments and instruction.
Increase teacher workforce through successful acceptance, retention, transition, and progression through KSU Bagwell School of Education programs.

November 2023

Bagwell College of Education and the Rome City School District

The Bagwell College of Education is excited to partner with the Rome City School District aimed at supporting educators pursuing advanced degrees. The program promises to enhance the professional capacity of the educators in RCSD and facilitate their growth as they seek advanced degrees. The program is specifically designed to align with the strategic objectives of the district.

October 2023

Wellstar College of Health and Human Services and the Bagwell College of Education

An interdisciplinary team headed by Monica Nandan, director of strategic partnerships and social impact in Kennesaw State’s Wellstar College of Health and Human Services, has been awarded a $4.45 million grant by the U.S. Department of Education. Faculty from the Wellstar College and the Bagwell College of Education will collaborate on the project to bring Master of Social Work students and specially trained student teachers into Georgia public schools in Bartow, Floyd, Gordon, Paulding and Polk counties, as well as provide specialized intervention training to teachers and school-based police officers there. Dr. Virginie Jackson will coordinate the placements of student teachers for the Bagwell College of Education.

Click Here to learn more about the grant in a news article by KSU.

September 2023

KSU's Bagwell College of Education and the Paulding County School District

The Bagwell College of Education is excited to partner with the Paulding County School District to boost teaching within the critical areas of math, science, special education, and elementary education. The Paulding Degree Advancement Program (DAP) is uniquely tailored to the district's strategic priorities and will provide undergraduate and graduate degrees for paraprofessionals and certified teachers in the Paulding County School District in the following areas:

Undergraduate:
- Bachelor of Science in Elementary and Early Childhood Education (P-5)
- Bachelor of Science in Education in Secondary Education (BSED) (6-12)
Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT):
Master of Education (MED):
- Master of Education in Secondary and Middle Grades Education (6-12)
- Master of Education in Special Education (PK-12) - General Curriculum
Check out the KSU and Paulding press releases.

August 2023

Future Misters Academy and the Cobb County School District

The Call ME MISTER (Mentors Instructing Students Towards Effective Role Models) program of KSU has partnered with Cobb County School District for the annual Future MISTERs Academy. The Future MISTERs Academy is a three-day on campus experience that recruits male students of color who are interested in pursuing the field of education. This past June, 11 middle and high school students from Cobb County met current faculty/staff members in the Bagwell College of Education, toured the campus of KSU, and engaged in enrichment activities. These experiences provided the students with valuable information about careers in the classroom and the importance to increase the pool of available teachers from a broader more diverse background. This year the Future MISTERs Academy was featured in the news twice - 11 Alive and WSB-TV. Through this collegiate experience, students learned what it means to become a teacher and a mentor in the classroom.

July 2023

The IRML Lab and the Georgia Department of Education

Congratulations to the Interactive Research Methods Lab (IRML) for its partnership with the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) to develop a rubric for the Georgia Teacher Induction Certification Program. Dr. Ivan Jorrin Abellan and Dr. Traci Redish worked with a statewide GaDOE task force to facilitate the development of a rubric that includes the seven required components of a Georgia Certified Teacher Induction Program. The seven components include: Roles and Responsibilities, Leadership and Organizational Structures, Mentoring, Orientation Ongoing Performance Assessment Professional Learning, and Program Evaluation. A training video was also developed that explains the different components of the rubric. The rubric will be piloted by school districts throughout Georgia in Fall 2023.

June 2023

Rivers 2 Reef: A Partnership with the Georgia Aquarium and KSU Elementary Education Science Professors

Congratulations to the science professors in the Department of Elementary Education for their partnership with the Georgia Aquarium on the Rivers 2 Reef Professional Development Program. Drs. Jessica Stephenson Reaves, Rasheda Likely, and Anna Maria Arias are partnering with Molly Johnson from Georgia Aquarium to facilitate the Rivers 2 Reefs Workshop for Georgia science teachers. During the week-long professional development workshop, the teachers will follow the Altamaha River watershed to see how water flows from the city of Atlanta all the way to the Grey Reef along the coast of Georgia. The workshop hosted by the Georgia Aquarium involves water testing and investigation of Georgia ecosystems at multiple sites through activities such as kayaking, hiking, wetlands walks, and trawling in the ocean. Drs. Stephenson Reaves, Likely, and Arias will facilitate aspects of the professional development focused on investigating water quality and pollution, as well as how to support students learning about water in the ecosystems of Georgia. The KSU team is conducting a research study to understand the teachers’ motivation and learning during the Rivers 2 Reefs workshop and to examine how the teachers use the ideas and resources from the workshop within their classroom to support student learning.

April 2023

The Avatar Lab and the Georgia Department of Education

Congratulations to the AVATAR Lab for its ongoing partnership with the Georgia Department of Education on the Model Induction Program for Special Education Teachers. This program is designed to improve the retention of new special education teachers through high quality mentoring, coaching, and induction support. The AVATAR Lab is providing train-the-trainer materials and support for mixed reality simulation professional learning on High Leverage Practices and IEP development and implementation. This partnership is part of a USDOE Georgia Teacher/Provider Retention Grant awarded on September 28, 2020 to the Georgia Department of Education, Division for Special Education Services and Supports. The award is for $500,000 per year for up to five years to address the retention of special education teachers and early intervention providers that have the necessary skills, knowledge, and support to effectively serve children with disabilities and their families. One of the participating districts, Marietta City Schools, recently celebrated their induction cohort completing the year-long professional learning using the AVATAR Lab .

March 2023

Korean-English Dual Language Bilingual Education and Gwinnett County Public Schools

Dr. Jayoung Choi has established a partnership with the Korean-English Dual Language Bilingual Education (K-E DLBE; commonly known as Dual Language Immersion, DLI) program at Parsons Elementary School in Gwinnett County Public Schools since 2020. She works with her postdoctoral researcher Dr. Tuba Angay-Crowder and her colleagues from other universities to enhance the effectiveness and equity of the K-E DLBE program. Dr. Choi and her research team have helped build bilingual instructional materials in second and third grade STEM classes and solidify the curricula in the Korean Specials class that teaches Korean culture to all Parsons students, not just to the K-E DLBE students. Dr. Choi’s team has also led two virtual and global exchange projects where Parsons students created and exchanged videos in collaboration with elementary students in South Korea. Dr. Choi’s partnership with Parsons is continuing, and more impactful activities are being planned and unfolded. For instance, they are planning workshops and professional development for teachers and parents in the program. Dr. Choi’s team is committed to supporting the K-E DLBE program as they see it as an innovative solution to injustice multilingual learners of immigrant origin have long endured in the English-only education system in the U.S.

February 2023

Department of Educational Leadership and Rockdale County Public Schools

Congratulations to the Department of Educational Leadership (EDL) for its partnership with Rockdale County Public Schools to offer embedded leadership development in concert with Rockdale’s ASPIRE leadership cohort and REAL leadership academy. The ASPIRE cohort is competitively geared toward individuals desiring to become entry-level leaders in the school district, such as school-based assistant principals or central office-based coordinators. The leaders developed in the ASPIRE program and REAL Academy have unprecedented opportunities for learning while doing in real school environments with regular support from seasoned leaders. Strong theoretical foundations and a research-based curriculum within the Tier I Certification programs at KSU bolster this practical experience. Further, each element of this program adheres to the rigorous standards set forth by the GaPSC. The thoughtful and intentional programming in connection with standards-based leadership development across the partnership represents a level of leader preparation rarely matched in any field. The program is rigorous while also remaining nimble to meet the needs of each of its members and respond to the shifting demands of the educational leadership profession.

January 2023

Department of Inclusive Education and Cartersville City Schools

Congratulations to Dr. Nihal Khote and the Department of Inclusive Education for the partnership with the Cartersville City School District to provide a year-long professional development to middle and high school ESOL teachers. The purpose of this professional development is to advance English language reading and writing literacy skills of English learners (ELs) to prepare them for district and state assessments. In this partnership, Dr. Khote and the ESOL teachers will develop an English language learning curriculum that spirals from basic to complex language instruction to apprentice ELs into academic literacy across the content areas over the course of the 2022-23 academic year.
Spotlight Year 2022

December 2022

Asian American Studies Teacher Workshop with Gwinnett County Public School District

Congratulations to Drs. Theresa Alviar-Martin and Sohyun An for their partnership with Gwinnett County Public School District and Asian American Voices for Education to offer a year-long professional development workshops for K-12 teachers in the Gwinnett County schools. In the workshops, Dr. Alviar-Martin and Dr. An engage teachers in building knowledge and skills to incorporate Asian American histories and narratives into the district’s social studies standards. They also provide curricular and pedagogical resources to support classroom implementation. Gwinnett County School District provides stipends for all teachers who attend the workshops.

November 2022

iTeach & Mississippi Department of Education

Congratulations to iTeach for its partnership with the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE). Beginning in June 2021, MDE partnered with iTeach to implement a comprehensive professional development program focused on supporting Digital Learning Coaches in their practice. Support from iTeach addresses six key areas: (1) one-on-one coaching, (2) self-paced coaching modules, (3) facilitation of collaborative monthly meetings, (4) facilitation of professional development events, (5) delivery of webinars, and (6) monthly consulting meetings with MDE leadership. Through this partnership, iTeach has implemented an effective model for virtual coaching support.

October 2022

Interactive Research Methods Lab (IRML) & Underwriters Laboratories Research Institutes

Congratulations to the Interactive Research Methods Lab for its partnership with the UL Research Institutes for the evaluation of "Xplorlabs Fire Forensics: Claims and Evidence module" adopted in Cobb and Cherokee Counties middle schools. The evaluation will provide an understanding of the outcomes of the Fire Forensics UL Xplorlabs modules for participating teachers, students, and the fire services. Moreover, it will also provide hints on how to create a community education model for Xplorlabs in other areas of the United States.

This partnership includes collaboration among UL, Cobb County, Cherokee County, Cobb County Fire Department, Woodstock Fire Department, Cherokee Fire Department, the Society of Fire Protection Engineers Greater Atlanta Chapter, and the IRML.

September 2022

School of Instructional Technology & Innovation & Georgia Department of Education

Congratulations to the School of Instructional Technology & Innovation (SITI) for its partnership with the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) to offer the Personalized Learning Endorsement (PLE) to teachers participating in the GRE4T grant with GaDOE. Teachers take the three courses in the endorsement from SITI and GaDOE pays for the courses through the GRE4T grant--providing this professional learning opportunity free of charge. The PLE endorsement prepares educators to personalize learning for K-12 students through competencies such as executive functioning, learner agency, asset-based dispositions, and growth and mastery mindset.

August 2022

Fast Start Academy & Marietta City Schools

Congratulations to Drs. Megan Adams and Sanjuana Rodriguez for their partnership with Marietta City Schools to offer the Fast Start Academy, a 4-week summer program housed in KSU’s Bagwell College of Education. In the Fast Start Academy, KSU students and faculty provide tutoring and educational activities for elementary school children who are below grade level in reading. It is provided at no cost to families in an effort to improve literacy skills and provide positive role models. Marietta City Schools provides breakfast and lunch for the students. The school district also offers bus service for students to get to and from KSU’s campus.

Click Here to learn more about Fast Start in a news article by KSU.