story by Claire Miller
Georgia State University’s College of Education & Human Development (CEHD) awarded its 2019 Partnership Awards to Clayton County Public Schools and Global Village Project at the college’s Fall Graduate Commencement on Dec. 17, 2019.
For several years, the CEHD has partnered with Clayton County to provide professional development opportunities for current teachers and place college students as teacher residents in its schools, allowing them to get classroom experience for a full academic year before graduation. High school students from Clayton County also participate in the CEHD’s Academy for Future Teachers, a three-week summer program that shows participants how to develop and teach math and science lessons to elementary and middle school students.
In 2019, Clayton County Public Schools began working with the CEHD on a $1.2 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support Clayton County middle school teachers implementing the county’s math curriculum in their classrooms.
The Global Village Project (GVP) is an accredited, special purpose middle school in DeKalb County whose mission is to develop a strong educational foundation for each student within a caring community. The school serves recently-resettled young women from several countries, including Iraq, Sudan, Somalia, Burma, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Liberia.
Over the last few years, the College of Education & Human Development has invited GVP students to Georgia State’s campus for college tours and to answer questions about attending a public university in the U.S. In addition, Assistant Professor Natalie King has worked with the school on STEM-related activities and GVP has hosted South African students studying abroad in the CEHD.
“As a college of education, it’s our mission to prepare effective teachers for high-needs schools and support students from diverse backgrounds,” said Gwen Benson, CEHD associate dean for faculty development and partnerships. “Clayton County Public Schools and Global Village Project have been great partners in that work.”
The College of Education & Human Development created the Partnership Award to honor the valuable partnerships that exist between the college and members of the community, and to celebrate these joint efforts to address educational and community challenges and advance the public good.
To learn more about the college’s work with Clayton County Public Schools, click here; to learn more about the college’s work with Global Village Project, click here.