Overview
The Center for Partnerships to Improve Education (CPIE) works collaboratively with schools, businesses, families, and the greater community to improve student outcomes in South Carolina. Located in the College of Charleston’s School of Education, Health, and Human Performance, it was established in 2005 to support the improvement of PK–12 education through partnerships.
The Center for Partnerships to Improve Education and the Charleston County School District entered into an agreement to improve the educational outcomes for selected schools in the district. This partnership model will be scaled up for use in school districts across the state. The Center for Partnerships’ goals are to:
Improve performance and reduce the drop-out rates of students
Increase enrollment of minority and low-income students in institutions of higher learning
Prepare youth for employment in the 21st century workforce
Re-engage disaffected students in education
Educate teacher candidates to work effectively in low-performing schools and to seek employment in such schools
Establish expectations, incentives, and professional development for teachers to make a long-term commitment to work in low-performing schools
Improve understanding in higher education and businesses of the issues limiting urban and rural students’ futures and identify ways to address these issues
The Center is comprised of three strands that include Teaching and Learning, Research, and Community Outreach. Burke faculty, College of Charleston faculty, and community members are encouraged to participate in any of the three strands. Content area professors from the College of Charleston work collaboratively with school faculty to support the work of the Teaching and Learning strand. Joint research projects are underway that help improve teaching and learning student motivation. The Community Outreach strand brings together the school, the College of Charleston, and the greater community. The Center's planning team is comprised of selected teachers and administrators, College of Charleston faculty, school personnel, and a South Carolina Department of Education representative.
History2005–2006
In its first year, the Center for Partnerships to Improve Education initiated the following at Burke High School: an intensive tutoring program for tenth-graders; a summer enrichment program for rising eighth- and tenth-graders, a dual enrollment course in English in conjunction with the College of Charleston; AP professional development; a community oral history project; an international club; and a science language project.2006–2007
During the 2006–2007 school year, an end-of-the-year math rally took place; three tutoring programs were supported by College of Charleston students; professional development for teachers was provided in math, science, and English; a summer reading program was continued; selected students were dually enrolled at the College of Charleston and Burke High School; a summer enrichment program for middle school and high school students was planned; Citizen-of-the-Month awards were given to seventh- and eighth-graders; ninth-graders created a book about the Burke community; high school students corresponded with Vietnamese students and wrote a book together; a ninth-grade leadership program for young female students was initiated; and the middle school library classrooms were stocked with books.2007–2008
During the 2007–2008 school year, we welcomed Baptist Hill High School (BHHS) in Hollywood (SC) as our newest partnership school. Baptist Hill is a small public high school with a 9–12 enrollment of 450 students. Dr. James Winbush is the principal. Dr. Cass Runyon was the College of Charleston representative at BHHS and she introduced several science initiatives to educators. BHHS was featured in CPIE’s annual school improvement magazine, and CPIE provided the school with classroom libraries.
Erin Gruwell, author of Freedom Writers Diary, spoke at Burke High School about filming the Freedom Writers movie and writing of the book. It was a community-wide event with more than 650 students, parents, and adults in attendance. Clifton Taulbert, a national expert on building community in schools, spoke at our annual school improvement conference. Burke High School began implementing Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) in its departments. Teachers work as a team to plan instruction, discuss assessment, and examine student work to determine strengths and weaknesses. Both BHHS and Burke High School made impressive student gains in the graduate rate, SC school report card rating, and student achievement scores. Memminger Elementary focused its partnership efforts with CPIE on parental involvement.2008–2009
At the beginning of the 2008–2009 school year, a fourth program was added to the CPIE partnership—Clark Academy, on James Island. Clark is a program for students who are at risk for dropping out of school. Students are offered the opportunity to leave their home high schools and attend Clark, a small school for students in grades 9–12. The classes are smaller and the environment is an inviting one. CPIE has provided tutoring support and technical advice at the school. Burke Middle High began its second year of having College of Charleston students tutor its middle school students. This was the third year that Burke High has held its annual Cotillion for ninth-grade students on the College of Charleston campus. CPIE supported Memminger Elementary School in its attempts to become a partial magnet school and draw students from across the peninsula. The school’s new name is Memminger Global School: A University Partnership School. The College is looking forward to working with Memminger in a variety of ways as it moves towards global instruction. Our spring school improvement conference featured two speakers: Dr. Dan Kindlon, a Harvard psychologist specializing in gender differences in student achievement and behavioral problems in children, and Dr. Martha Bireda, an expert in student self-esteem and classroom management. Burke High completed its first year of its Advanced Placement Academy with 30 ninth-grade students drawn from across Charleston County. Besides academics, this group participated in an extended summer orientation program and service learning component throughout the school year. A variety of student writing projects spearheaded by Dr. Faye Hicks-Townes took place at Burke; and the science department received grant funding for science equipment from the Howard Hughes Foundation. Dr. Pamela Riggs-Gelasco, a chemistry professor at CofC, wrote the proposal.
Brochure
View the Center for Partnerships brochure in pdf. Requires the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view.
Initiatives
Team Leadership
Led by faculty at the college's School of Education, Health, and Human Performance, the Center for Partnerships is comprised of three teams, including Teaching and Learning, Community Outreach, and Research. These teams facilitate the Center for Partnerships' goals, providing leadership for its long-term commitment to student achievement and community stewardship.
The Teaching and Learning Connection
The Teaching and Learning team brings together College of Charleston faculty who share their best practices, providing professional development, academic programs, and classroom instruction strategies across the curriculum. This approach enables the Center for Partnerships to build on the expertise and resources of the entire campus, forging a connection among a broader community of educators to improve student achievement and facilitate teacher preparation.
Paula Egelson, Ed.D.
Director, Center for Partnerships to Improve Education
Coordinator, Teaching and Learning Team
Paula Egelson is a former community organizer and elementary and middle school literacy teacher. For 15 years she worked in research and professional development at SERVE, the federally-funded educational laboratory serving the Southeast. Her specialty areas include school improvement, literacy, teacher evaluation, English language learners, and at-risk students. She was instrumental in implementing Senior Project, a performance assessment for twelfth-graders, in high schools across the Southeast.Teaching and Learning Team Summaries
The Community Outreach team serves as an advocate in support of activities in the Center/school partnership, and shares project activities and outcomes with the school and its community stakeholders, including teachers, parents, school districts, businesses, and civic organizations. The Outreach team facilitates cooperation and collaboration between the Center for Partnerships, the school and the community at large, creating a forum for informed discussion and ensuring effective communication.
Andrew Lewis, Ph.D
Coordinator, Community Outreach Team
Andrew Lewis’ credentials include a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education from Albany State University, a Master of Science in Physical Education from the University of Tennessee (Knoxville), and a Doctor of Philosophy in Adapted Physical Education from the Ohio State University. Visit Dr. Lewis' website.
CPIE Activities 2008-2009
Research Retreat for CPIE employees, 7/21-23/08
Camp Hope for CCSD students, 7/19-8/7/08
Charleston's First-Day Festival for Tricounty area families, 8/17/08
Trident United Way "Sailing into Spring" Conference, 4/28/09
CPIE Yearly Conference, 3/4/09
Cotillion for Burke High students, 5/30/09
Summer Enrichment Program for Burke High students, 7/17-26/09
Professional Development for Burke High faculty on SMART Boart training, 9/8-12/08
Professional Development for Baptist Hill faculty on gender issues and developing effective assessment for the classroom, 8/08-4/09
Neighborhood Planning Team Meetings at Memminger
Directory of Faculty and Staff Involved
Kelly Bowers
Paula Egelson
Christine Finnan
Melanie Hofmann
Renee McCaslin
Meta Van Sickle
Nicola Williams
School of Education, Health, and Human Performance
Charleston County School District