The purpose of this agreement is to maximize our resources and work together to improve results for Memminger Elementary students and novice teachers enrolled in College of Charleston teacher education programs. It is hoped that this partnership will result in ongoing quality field and clinical practice placements for teacher education candidates, ongoing professional development for Memminger Elementary teachers who desire to become Partnership Faculty in College of Charleston’s teacher education program, and ongoing scholarly and professional development opportunities for College of Charleston faculty.

It is believed that all engaged in work at the school site must be committed to ensuring that each and every child learns and develops to her/his potential. It is further believed that all school staff ultimately should be committed to providing quality clinical practice and field experience placements.

Two paramount goals will always be at the heart of our work and therefore form the axis for assessment and evaluation:

• We want the best educated and motivated children possible; and
• We want the best prepared and committed next generation of teachers possible.

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Belief Statements

• The education of future teachers is the responsibility of the entire profession, both school based personnel and those in colleges and universities.
• The school is the unit of change rather than a few individuals within the school.
  
• In order for the partnership to work, some responsibilities and resources are shared.
  
• It is important for the Partnership Faculty to understand the goals of the teacher education program, and it is important for the College Based Faculty to understand the goals of the school.
  

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Goals

• Demonstrate the added value and benefits of a sustained and formalized partnership between higher education and K-12 education.
  
• Serve to encourage, promote, and support year-round and after-school learning and child development opportunities.
  
• Provide a structure and methodology for demonstrating the benefits of a reciprocal learning environment involving school and college faculty and students, emphasizing theory and practice, and modeling best practices in peer support, research, and professional mentoring and self-assessment.
  
• Establish the processes and procedures to encourage and enable the involvement of community stakeholders in education, youth development, and professional development.
  
• Launch the District 20 Professional Development Hub at Memminger.

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Benefits

• Memminger’s students benefit from the presence of additional adults who can provide ongoing attention to individual needs in the classroom.
  
• College of Charleston benefits from having a Professional Development Site, staffed by Partnership Faculty who are knowledgeable about College of Charleston programs and skilled in the use of supervision skills, where candidates can be placed for their field experience and clinical practice.
  
• Memminger’s teachers benefit from the chance to grow professionally in areas that may not otherwise be available to them. In addition, the possibility of co- teaching with college-based faculty affords the opportunity to critically examine the curriculum and methodology currently being employed in individual classrooms.
  
• The profession benefits from new teachers who have been prepared and nurtured in an environment where professional faculty committed to excellence are associated with the entire range of field experiences.

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Responsibilities

• Memminger’s faculty interested in becoming Partnership Faculty will agree to participate in a seminar (for 1 semester hour credit) that will prepare them to assume the responsibility of College of Charleston supervisors of teacher education students (participation in the seminar, however, does not obligate the Partnership Faculty to assume a supervisory role). College of Charleston will provide the instruction for this semester through either the Department of Early Childhood and Elementary or the Department of Foundations, Secondary, and Special Education.
  
• College of Charleston will provide a faculty liaison that will assist in any policy oriented problems or cases that will involve usual difficulties and who will be redefining the roles of the faculty supervisor and faculty liaison. This individual will be responsible for maintaining communication between College Based Faculty and the Partnership Faculty.
  
• Seminars for all candidates placed at Memminger Elementary will be the responsibility of the Partnership Faculty who have assumed the role of college supervisor during the semester. Supervision of College of Charleston interns in clinical practice and the associated seminars will be consistent with the policies currently established in the Office of Certification and Clinical Practice. Planning for the seminar will be the joint responsibility of Partnership Faculty and the interns. The College of Charleston faculty liaison will provide assistance in the preparation of needed materials or human resources to accomplish the goals of the seminar.
  
• Memminger Elementary will be responsible for determining the number of interns in clinical practice, methods students, and observers it will be willing to work during a given semester and communicate that number to the Office of Certification and Clinical Practice during the semester prior to the one in question. The Office of Certification and Clinical Practice will place only the number of candidates in the classes that Memminger requests for that semester. College of Charleston will agree to provide Memminger Elementary with the names of candidates in these categories in a timely fashion in order for the appropriate planning to occur prior to the experience. College of Charleston candidates will agree to meet with teachers at Memminger Elementary during the semester (student teachers) or week (methods students) prior to the experience.
  
• The Partnership Faculty (in the role of college supervisors) will be responsible for a minimum of six formal observations during the semester, as well as the day to day counseling, and the preparation of student evaluations. Memminger Elementary School will provide flexible scheduling in order to allow the meeting and support necessary for candidate development. This will include time for (a) Partnership Faculty meetings, (b) clinical practice internship meetings (other than seminar) and (c) conferencing with interns. This structure avoids the need for ongoing substitutes and takes the Partnership Faculty away from classroom responsibility only minimally.
  
• College of Charleston agrees to designate a Memminger Professional Development School liaison. This individual will be a full time College of Charleston faculty member.
  
• College of Charleston agrees to provide school-based faculty with library privileges at the College of Charleston.

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Timeline

• It is proposed that the Professional Development Partnership commence immediately, and that the first candidates be assigned to Partnership Faculty by Fall, 2004 or Spring Semester, 2005. Assessment and evaluation will commence with program planning and be continuous throughout the agreement.

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