Teacher Education through the years...

From the early 1900s until today, teachers have been educated and trained in Charleston. In 1927, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools ruled teachers in accredited schools must have a prescribed amount of professional training. The first courses in teacher education at the College of Charleston were offered in 1927, but it was not until 1930 that education coursework credit was accepted for a bachelor’s degree from the College. From that day forward, teacher education at the College of Charleston continued to grow and prosper.

Before the College of Charleston began educating teachers, they were trained in “normal” schools which were typically schools not associated with a college. The first “normal” school to educate teachers in the state of South Carolina was Memminger Normal School, now Memminger Elementary School in downtown Charleston. Memminger Normal School was named for Colonel Christopher Gustavus Memminger who was the most active participant in the start of normal schools in South Carolina and a leader in establishing Charleston’s public school system in the 1850s.

Memminger Normal School opened in 1857 as an all-girls school with all white students and remained a high school for girls until 1950 when it became an elementary school. The College of Charleston School of Education currently has a partnership with Memminger Elementary School. The purpose of this partnership is to maximize the resources of those involved and work together to improve achievement of Memminger Elementary School students and novice teachers enrolled in the College of Charleston teacher education program.

Avery Normal School opened in 1865 as a teacher education school for African Americans in the lowcountry. In the late 1970s a group of activists, which included many Averyites (Avery graduates), helped form the Avery Institute. Today, the school building is the Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture at the College of Charleston. The mission of the Avery Research Center is to collect, preserve, and document the history of African Americans in Charleston and the South Carolina Lowcountry. Avery Research Center’s archives and museum contain some of the best resources in our area for students and others who are interested in researching African-American history.

These three schools, with rich and diverse histories in Charleston, were and continue to be leaders in the education of teachers.