May 29, 2024, Kathryn McPhail
Honors College alumna Kimberly Rogers recently completed her first year as a college president — an impressive achievement for anyone, especially a first-generation university graduate. She took the first steps on that path in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where she discovered a passion that would lead her far.
May 22, 2024, Kathryn McPhail
Honors College alumna Kayla Gardner’s passion for protecting the ocean and teaching others to do the same led her to pursue a career in marine science. Unlike many young people who are drawn to dolphins, turtles or sharks, much smaller creatures sparked Gardner’s interest.
February 23, 2024, Kathryn McPhail
Shannon Bowen, a professor in the University of South Carolina’s College of Information and Communications, researches ethical decision making and AI within organizations, heads the AI-Ethics Advisory Board and conducts ethics training with leaders of organizations to help them avoid and solve problems and develop strategic communications plans.
January 30, 2020, Kathryn McPhail
Later this month, a new center called Bilingualism Matters at UofSC is opening under the direction of education professor Eurydice Bauer. The center is partnering with two Midlands area school districts to research how multilingual education benefits students and how schools can implement education programs.
January 14, 2020, Kathryn McPhail
More than 5,300 teachers left South Carolina public schools at the end of the 2018-19 school year. That seems like a staggering number, but it’s not an anomaly. It puts students at risk of missing out on the quality instruction they need and deserve, and the University of South Carolina’s College of Education is stepping in to help with a new initiative aimed at recruiting and retaining teachers.
November 07, 2019, Kathryn McPhail
In the 21 years that she’s been a school counselor, Elizabeth Balthazor has worked with children whose emotional – and sometimes physical – wounds run deep. Two-thirds of children report at least one traumatic event by 16 years old, and one in seven children are abused. Before she can help, Balthazor must figure out what’s wrong and that can be hard with children who don’t fully know how to verbalize their trauma.
October 14, 2019, Kathryn McPhail
After winning state championships in high school, Kaden Briggs was excited to earn a spot on the University of South Carolina’s track and field team. But he was shocked when he faced an unexpected hurdle – some skepticism about his chosen career path.
September 09, 2019, Kathryn McPhail
For most students, the path to law school doesn’t include a stop in a fourth grade classroom. Well, at least not as the teacher of the class. But law student Brandon Adams says his experience as a teacher will help him become a better attorney, and he plans to combine his love of teaching and the law.
August 08, 2019, Kathryn McPhail
The Accelerator for Learning and Leadership for South Carolina (ALL4SC) is an outreach project that will bring together researchers and professionals from 12 academic and professional units at the university to create a strategy to close achievement and opportunity gaps for all students
June 06, 2019, Kathryn McPhail
Education alumna, Chanda Jefferson, was recently named the 2020 South Carolina Teacher of the Year. Her passion for serving others began when she drove the church van as a teenager. Now a decade into her career as an educator, she finds herself teaching much more than biology to her students.
May 13, 2019, Kathryn McPhail
Jackson Creek Elementary School, in Columbia, is committed to improving the way its teachers are educating students — both academically and socially. The school is collaborating with College of Education professors to offer all teachers and support staff ongoing professional development in culturally relevant teaching.
April 05, 2019, Kathryn McPhail
Efforts to recruit and retain teachers in South Carolina go beyond the four years students spend on campus. For College of Education alumna LeAnn Haga, a high school outreach program inspired her to pursue a teaching career, a scholarship allowed her to earn a degree debt-free and now, her alma mater continues to support her in her first year as a teacher.
February 08, 2019, Kathryn McPhail
Former Gamecocks football player Preston Thorne is back on campus, but now he’s tackling the teacher shortage instead of opponents. Since graduating 15 year ago, Thorne has taught history, coached high school football and even co-authored a children's book. Now, he's helping the College of Education recruit more students to the teaching profession.
January 14, 2019, Kathryn McPhail
When Michelle Taylor walked across the stage at December’s commencement ceremony to accept her master’s degree, she culminated a journey of more than 7,300 miles and three countries. And though she didn’t step foot on campus during her two years in the Master of Education in Teaching program, she felt strongly about attending graduation.
December 05, 2018, Kathryn McPhail
This month, Wendy Harriford Platt — a veteran teacher, mother, and daughter of a Carolina icon — will walk across the commencement stage to accept her doctorate degree in education with no regrets. Well, maybe just one regret — that her father will not be there to celebrate with her.
November 09, 2018, Kathryn McPhail
The College of Education was awarded its largest grant in nearly 20 years to fund a statewide program to better engage families in South Carolina’s public schools.
October 25, 2018, Kathryn McPhail
For the second year in a row, a University of South Carolina education alumnus has been named National Principal of the Year by the National Association of Secondary School Principals. Lucas Clamp, who earned three degrees from the College of Education, is principal of River Bluff High School in Lexington.
October 05, 2018, Kathryn McPhail
Education professor and rabbi, Meir Muller, is devoted to countering antisemitism and bias through education. His work is shaping school curriculum for children in Europe and ultimately, here in South Carolina.
September 18, 2018, Kathryn McPhail
South Carolina is in critical need of special educators, with special education vacancies making up the largest share – nearly 20 percent - of unfilled teaching positions last year. To tackle this growing issue, the College of Education is launching a new certificate program for both early childhood education undergraduate students as well as current teachers.
August 24, 2018, Kathryn McPhail
A cellphone video of Mac Watson opening his acceptance letter from the CarolinaLIFE program spread quickly on social media and continues to gain him a lot of positive attention. Watson’s desire to attend Carolina began just last year, but his love for his future alma mater is bringing thousands to tears.
August 09, 2018, Kathryn McPhail
To increase diversity among South Carolina’s teachers while also tackling the growing teacher shortage, the College of Education is launching the Apple Core Initiative. Ten students, including Marisa Green, will take part in the pilot program which provides scholarships and support for underrepresented populations in South Carolina.
July 19, 2018, Kathryn McPhail
A new College of Education program aimed at increasing teacher retention in South Carolina proves successful in its first year - with 100 percent of participating teachers returning to the classroom next school year. This fall, 50 additional teachers will enter the program, and a $600,000 grant will help the college research the effectiveness of teacher recruitment and retention efforts statewide.
June 19, 2018, Kathryn McPhail
As the state faces a growing teacher shortage, the University of South Carolina and Midlands Technical College sign an agreement to create a more efficient path to teaching for transfer students such as YBeth Castro.
June 07, 2018, Kathryn McPhail
In May, David Dutka earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education through Palmetto College, the University of South Carolina’s online degree completion program. In August, he will begin his first year as a teacher at Midway Elementary School – the same school where he repaired pipes and buffed floors as a custodian for several years.
April 18, 2018, Kathryn McPhail
University of South Carolina College of Education alumna and Pelion High School assistant principal, Erica Page, was named the 2018 National Assistant Principal of the Year. Though not a South Carolina native, Page began her career in education a decade ago in Lexington County after an adventurous 650-mile move south.
April 09, 2018, Kathryn McPhail
CarolinaLIFE provides an inclusive college experience for students with diverse learning needs. Students, like Ronald Parker, are immersed on campus – living, learning and experiencing college life. But, the impact of the program goes far beyond the students.
March 09, 2018, Kathryn McPhail
Though the College of Education is graduating an increasing number of science and math educators, the state – and nation – is still in desperate need of these teachers. To encourage more students to considering teaching science and math, Carolina is offering top students scholarships which are funded by a National Science Foundation grant program.
February 19, 2018, Kathryn McPhail
A collaborative effort between the College of Education and the South Carolina Center for Children’s Books and Literacy, housed in the College of Information and Communications, is helping one community unify its literacy efforts.
January 12, 2018, Kathryn McPhail
A cherished, childhood friendship led Tori Vaeth to study special education at the University of South Carolina. Now, the College of Education double alumna is leading a program that’s training and placing young adults with intellectual disabilities in rewarding careers.
November 21, 2017, Kathryn McPhail
The College of Education recently launched a new program aimed at increasing teacher retention and success in the classroom by providing three additional years of support to new teachers after graduation.
October 20, 2017, Kathryn McPhail
University of South Carolina College of Education alumnus and Chapin High School principal, Akil Ross, was named the 2018 National Principal of the Year on Friday, October 20. The honor is the culmination of a passionate career as an educator that began just a few miles away from our campus 16 years ago.
October 11, 2017, Kathryn McPhail
Rapping the words to the U.S. Constitution might seem odd — unless you’re a student in one of Brandon Harrison’s classes. Harrison, and other public school teachers, are collaborating with education professors here at Carolina to identify which methods work best when teaching African-American students.
September 22, 2017, Kathryn McPhail
At just 6 years old, Noella “Binda” Niati was forced to flee her home in the Democratic Republic of Congo, amid intense violence and political upheaval. More than two decades later, she is headed back to Africa to study ways to encourage children, especially girls, to stay in school longer.
August 21, 2017, Kathryn McPhail
As 28,000 students file through the doors of Richland Two schools for the first day of a new year, a College of Education alumnus will be leading the way.
July 21, 2017, Kathryn McPhail
Education professor Rhonda Jeffries and graduate student Hope Reed wanted to close the achievement gap for underrepresented students, specifically those tracked to be in remedial classes. So, they took a risk with a group of freshman students at Blythewood High School and conducted a secret experiment of sorts that proved to be powerful.
June 26, 2017, Kathryn McPhail
Raised by a Cuban father and Colombian mother in Boston, Massachusetts, Julia López-Robertson experienced first-hand the challenges that come with being a member of an underrepresented population in America. Now as a professor in the College of Education, she is helping other Latino families through her research and outreach.
May 22, 2017, Kathryn McPhail
For three weeks each May, English education master’s students head to the Department of Justice's Birchwood High School to help youth improve their reading.
May 03, 2017, Kathryn McPhail
Researchers from the School of Medicine and College of Education recently received a $1.3 million National Science Foundation grant to study the best ways to encourage students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) through participation at informal learning sites.
May 03, 2017, Kathryn McPhail
Second-grade teacher Kelly Herring is about to finish her 10th year in the classroom. Herring was among the first class of students to graduate from the College of Education’s elementary education undergraduate degree program in 2007. Since 2007, nearly 740 students have completed the program.
April 13, 2017, Kathryn McPhail
Just months after graduating from college and starting her first job as a television producer, Amanda Bishop realized she had missed her calling.
March 27, 2017, Kathryn McPhail
A self-proclaimed “outdoorsy” person, Todd Beasley started his own small business at just 10 years old gardening for other families in his neighborhood. Now three decades later, the College of Education alumnus is the new director of programs at one of the largest botanical gardens in the country — the San Antonio Botanical Gardens.
February 27, 2017, Kathryn McPhail
College of Education researchers are looking to see whether adding movement that was once reserved for PE class into the regular academic day improves not only a student’s health but also his or her academic performance.
February 16, 2017, Kathryn McPhail
When high school math teacher Morgan Bailey steps in front of her class in rural Walterboro, South Carolina, she worries that some of the faces looking back at her may not graduate. Bailey is trying to enrich her students learning by sharing her experiences as a former intern with the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam and through her friendship with Holocaust survivor Eva Schloss.