Winthrop University
Richard W. Riley College of Education
NExT LEVEL Grant Awarded
The Richard W. Riley College of Education has been selected to receive funding for an English Language Acquisition (National Professional Development Program) grant. The project was one of only 49 grants funded nationwide (out of 337 proposals). The college will receive $549,720 this year with similar funding for a total of five years, totaling almost 3 million dollars.
Kelly Costner, Elke Schneider and Associate Dean Lisa Johnson authored the grant, entitled NExT LEVEL: NETwork for Leading Education that Values English Learners. They received critical input from schools and districts experiencing significant growth in English learner populations. The grant will bring together Fort Mill, Rock Hill, and Lancaster school districts, leveraging the success of the Winthrop-School Partnership Network. The Network, which is sponsored by the Jim and Sue Rex Institute for Educational Renewal, has found success in such collaborative efforts. It will specifically provide systematic and embedded professional learning opportunities to teachers, administrators, families, teacher candidates and faculty as a means of identifying and meeting English learners' needs. The project's ultimate goal is to provide a high quality education for every student in the classroom.
Costner acknowledges the impressive recognition and resources the grant provides. The College of Education has "benefited from the expertise of our school partners and colleagues in the design and content of this project,” said Costner. “We’re excited about this opportunity as we know it is going to address a significant need in our communities.”
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CACREP Accreditation
The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) has fully accredited both the M.Ed. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and the M.Ed. School Counseling programs. These two graduate programs in the College of Education’s Department of Counseling, Leadership and Educational Studies will be accredited for an eight-year period through October 31, 2024.
Jennifer Jordan, Ph.D., served as the CACREP coordinator, in addition to her duties as the counseling program director and the Community Counseling Clinic director. She worked with Carrie Sanders, Ph.D., on the compilation of self-study documents and the CACREP site visit with the assistance of Department Chair Pam Wash. Students in the counseling program met with the CACREP team during the site visit, providing an additional perspective to the representatives' overall impression. The team applauded the faculty for their excellent assessment system, emphasizing the commitment to the implementation and use of data for program decision making.
The CACREP team was also impressed by the Winthrop Community Counseling Clinic and its training programs. Students in the M.Ed. counseling and development program act as counselors-in-training in the program’s clinic under the supervision of Jennifer Jordan. Students provide counseling services to couples seeking therapy, children in need of assistance and individuals presenting a wide variety of mental health concerns. Students who intern in the clinic also get a chance to work behind the scenes in the office. They act as professional clinical staff maintaining client folders, fulfill receptionist and administrative duties, and conduct research. The commitment to student development impressed the CACREP team.
In addition to serving Winthrop students, the clinic offers residents of York County and the surrounding communities resources and services. The clinic offers free professional counseling, parenting classes, anger management classes, consultation and referral services to the local community, and is guided by adherence to professional codes of ethics and standards of practice. The Winthrop Community Counseling Clinic has served more than 288 clients in the past year, totaling 3000+ hours in direct service to clients.
For additional information on the Winthrop Community Counseling Clinic, please contact Jennifer Jordan at jordanje@winthrop.edu or 803/323.4783.
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Call Me MISTER Receives Outstanding Partnership Award
Rock Hill Schools annually recognizes business, civic organizations, individual community partners and school improvement councils for their significant contributions to public education. Recipients of Rock Hill Schools' awards are among a select number of nominees in the district that demonstrate a commitment to excellence. The Call Me MISTER program at Winthrop University, under the guidance of Jackie Brockington, received the 2016 Outstanding Partnership award for exceptional contributions to Oakdale Elementary School. Oakdale Elementary aims to have least 100 mentors/volunteers consistently present at their school each year. In response to this need, the MISTERs visited Oakdale weekly beginning in October 2015 and continuing through April 2016. During this time, each MISTER was assigned their own mentee. The mentor was afforded the opportunity to first listen to the student and then offer advice and encouragement. Establishing a one-on-one rapport supports a student's needs in a direct, supportive way. Call Me MISTER cohorts plan to continue this partnership every year with Oakdale Elementary School.
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Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching
Gail Vawter, science teacher at Springfield Middle School in Fort Mill, S.C., was selected to receive the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST). Mrs. Vawter represented the state of South Carolina in the science award category. This achievement reflects the significant contributions she has made to the teaching profession, particularly in the arena of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). She received a $10,000 award as well as a visit to Washington, D.C. Vawter has been very involved with the College of Education in teacher preparation as an adjunct professor, mentor teacher and a partner school liaison. The College of Education is proud of her accomplishments as a teacher and teacher educator and is thrilled to see her recognized in this way.
Richard W. Riley College of Education
Website: http://www.winthrop.edu/coe/default.aspx
Location: 106 Withers
Phone: 803.323.2151
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WinthropCOE
Twitter: @RWRCOE