Partnership Spotlight
November 2024
Kennesaw State University (KSU) recently celebrated an innovative collaboration led
by Dr. Sue Kasun of Georgia State University (GSU), with KSU’s Dr. Zurisaray Espinosa
as co-PI, in partnership with esteemed faculty from 
in Mexico. This project aimed to transform dual language (DL) education by integrating
Indigenous knowledge and Native science into K-12 classrooms, addressing a critical
need for culturally responsive science curriculum in DL settings.
This initiative was inspired by the rapid expansion of DL programs, particularly in metro Atlanta, where programs have grown from four in 2017 to over 60 today. The project’s focus was to bridge the gap in bilingual science resources by drawing on Native science principles that promote ecological responsibility and Indigenous knowledge, aligning with DL education’s goals of intercultural awareness and academic rigor.
Dr. Espinosa joined Dr. Kasun and Mexican colleagues in summer workshops in Mexico, working alongside Indigenous community members to lay the groundwork for curriculum development. The pilot curriculum was introduced at Atlanta Public Schools (APS) and further supported by professional development sessions for DL teachers. The initiative culminated in keynote presentations by the Mexican collaborators at KSU’s annual ESOL Teacher Conference, sharing their insights with hundreds of Georgia educators.
This partnership exemplifies the impact of cross-cultural collaboration in creating meaningful, accessible STEM education rooted in Indigenous knowledge, with plans to expand this model to DL programs nationwide. This work was supported by the Atlanta Global Studies Center AGREC funding.
October 2024
Secondary & Middle Grades Education Curriculum & Instruction Program and Forsyth County Schools
In December 2023, a 5th-grade teacher at Whitlow Elementary, Corey Martin, organized a cohort of educators interested in pursuing a Specialist in Education in Curriculum and Instruction. Over the following months, the teacher diligently guided a group of 30 teachers through the graduate school application process, overseeing acceptance, registration, and the resumption of K-12 classes. For many of these educators, this marked their first experience as students in over a decade.
The Superintendent became aware of the teachers' initiative and disseminated an email throughout the district. By the close of summer registration, more than 60 teachers had enrolled in a cohort specifically designed to meet the needs of Forsyth County Schools.
Throughout the spring and summer of 2024, faculty in Curriculum and Instruction worked extensively to revise the curriculum, adjust course sequencing, and provide advising to students. Now halfway through their second semester, the cohort is actively engaged in the program. The initial organizer has taken on the role of Graduate Research Assistant in the Department of Secondary and Middle Grades Education, continuing efforts to streamline graduate education processes for teachers. We extend our gratitude to our partners in Forsyth!
September 2024
Spotlight on a Groundbreaking Partnership: KSU and Marietta City Schools
The Department of Educational Leadership at Kennesaw State University's Bagwell College of Education has launched an innovative partnership with Marietta City Schools (MCS) aimed at preparing the next generation of teacher-leaders. This collaboration is anchored by the newly established Dual Certification Master's program in Teacher Leadership and Educational Leadership, designed to foster sustainable and effective distributed leadership within the district.
MCS district leaders have worked closely with KSU faculty to tailor courses to meet the district's unique needs. These customized courses integrate KSU's cutting-edge curriculum, ensuring a mission-specific connection between academic theory and real-world application. The program also leverages candidates' on-the-job experiences, offering significant time and financial savings.
Upon completion, graduates will earn a master's degree and certifications in Teacher Leadership, Tier I Educational Leadership, and a GaPSC Coaching Certificate—all in under two years for less than $10,000. This partnership is expected to serve as a model for similar collaborations across the state.
August 2024
The Department of Inclusive Education and the Cobb County School District (CCSD)
The Interactive Research Methods Lab (IRML) has launched a new branch at Daniel Middle School in the Cobb County School District. This initiative is built on an adapted version of Hopscotch, co-developed in collaboration with Dr. Tiffany Post, a media specialist at the school and an alumna of our college. Dr. Post, along with her team of librarians and media specialists, has worked closely with Drs. Wright, Jorrín, and Sadeghinia to develop and implement the lab. The new IRML branch is designed to equip students with fundamental research skills, fostering their academic growth and critical thinking abilities.
July 2024
iTeach & Paulding County School District
Congratulations to iTeach for their partnership with the Paulding County School District to launch a new teacher induction program, the NEST (Novice Educator Support and Training). This program aims to provide essential guidance, coaching, and professional development to the county’s newest teachers. The NEST program integrates embedded coaching focused on classroom practices, providing feedback, and collaboratively planning effective teaching strategies. In addition, each teacher will receive virtual coaching support as needed, allowing for personalized discussions, addressing specific challenges, and sharing best practices. Professional development days will be held on the KSU campus, featuring specialized labs from the Bagwell College of Education.
June 2024
The Department of Inclusive Education and the YoungHwa Elementary School in South Korea
Dr. Jayoung Choi has established a partnership with YoungHwa Elementary School in Incheon, South Korea since 2019. Dr. Choi has designed and implemented three different projects in collaboration with her fellow researchers and YoungHwa: (a) KSU preservice teachers teaching and learning from YoungHwa students, (b) YoungHwa students virtually engaging with Korean specials class at Parsons Elementary School in Georgia through vlogs, and (c) YoungHwa students enhancing global and science knowledge by connecting with third-grade students at the Parsons’ Korean-English Dual Language Bilingual Language program.
The first project implemented in her undergraduate TESOL methods course in Spring 2019 was an innovative teaching endeavor. Funded by the KSU’s Division of Global Affairs, this project granted a transformative experience for her preservice teachers as they witnessed bi-lingual/-literacy practices in action. YoungHwa students also taught the U.S. teachers about Korean culture and language in one-on-one virtual exchanges.
Supported by the Atlanta Global Research and Education Collaborative (AGREC) from 2021 to 2023, the global and virtual projects that connected Parsons’ and YoungHwa’s elementary students permitted both students situated in the U.S. and South Korea to deeply learn about each other’s cultures and science content knowledge.
Dr. Choi and her colleagues are committed to continuing this important partnership with YoungHwa Elementary School by pursuing more grants and by devising more innovative projects.
May 2024
The Department of Inclusive Education and the Dekalb County School District (DCSD)
The Department of Inclusive Education is proud to partner with the Dekalb County School
District on the IGNITE (Inspiring Greatness and Normalizing Innovation in Teacher
Education) DeKalb Teacher Residency Program. The purpose of the program is to create
an alternate route to certification designed to prepare high quality, committed, aspiring
teachers who can work effectively with students in Horizon schools across the District.
The Inclusive Education Department in the Bagwell College of Education will provide
the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program in Special Education. KSU’s iTeach unit
will provide coaching for the mentor teachers. The aspiring teachers may be current
paraprofessionals, substitute teachers, tutors, non-certified employees, or college
graduates who have a passion for teaching the next generation of scholars. During
the entirety of their preparation program, selected candidates will be given the opportunity
to earn a post-secondary credential and teacher certification at no out-of-pocket
cost. The DeKalb County School District will bear all cost of all tuition, textbooks,
certification assessments, and fees on behalf of candidates selected. All candidates
will be employed by DCSD and serve in a paid $30,000, full-time, student-facing position,
alongside a mentor, while completing their coursework and clinical experience requirements.
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 EducationAn 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):
- Secondary Math (6-12)
- Secondary Biology (6-12)
- Secondary Chemistry (6-12)
- Secondary Physics (6-12)
- Special Education (PK-12) - General Curriculum
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.
