Teachers

Urban Teacher Leaders Masters’ of Science Degree Program (UTL)
Large proportions of urban children live in families and communities that are caught in cycles of poverty and racism which affect their choices and hopes (Wilson, 1978).  According to Haberman (1995) five forces influence children in poverty: lack of trust in adults, violence, feelings of hopelessness, bureaucratic mindlessness, and a culture of authoritarianism.  Haberman (1995) further contends, “for the children and youth in poverty from diverse backgrounds who attend urban schools, having effective teachers is a matter of life and death” (p.1).  The Urban Teacher Leadership Masters’ Degree Program facilitates the development of teachers who can remain in their classrooms and assume leadership roles in the larger context of the school community.  The UTL is a cohort program that creates a cadre of teachers who will affect change in classrooms, schools, school districts, communities and the national conversation about urban education.  The UTL program is directed through the Alonzo A. Crim Center by Dr. Susan C. McClendon.  It is the only masters’ degree program that integrates the three units of the Educational Policy Studies Department, social and cultural foundations, educational research, and educational leadership within the frame of urban education.  The UTL program truly reflects the Crim Center‘s interdisciplinary focus.   Dr. Asa Hilliard taught exclusively in the UTL program for many years.

Visit the web page at http://education.gsu.edu/main/GraduateAdmissions.htm.  |  Download the brochure here.

Turner Teacher Scholars Program
In gratitude of a $300,000 grant from Turner Broadcasting Systems, Inc., The Alonzo A. Crim Center for Urban Educational Excellence provided full scholarships, surpassing $140, 000, to 41 urban teachers in pursuit of the Master’s degree in Urban Teacher Leadership (UTL) offered by the Crim Center.  This UTL Master’s Degree Program helped develop teachers that will become catalysts of educational, political, and social change within their schools and communities.  According to feedback from students of the program, this form of teacher empowerment has improved their conception of the educational needs of the urban student and has given them the tools to help develop the social consciousness of their students in the urban classroom.  

Culturally Relevant Educational Practices: Ball-Stick-Bird Program
Under the objective of increasing teacher initiative, the Alonzo A. Crim Center for Urban Educational Excellence will be sponsoring the implementation of the Ball-Stick-Bird reading program, developed by Dr. Renee Fuller, at Columbia Elementary School in Decatur, Georgia.  The Ball-Stick-Bird series aims to immerse students in the contextual and implicit learning of reading skills through progressive stories based on theories of developmental linguistics.  Research has supported the efficacy of this reading program in increasing the reading fluency and reading comprehension of students with low IQ scores as well as for students who are at-risk for illiteracy.  The projected plan encompasses the proctoring of this program by a teacher at Columbia Elementary School, who will train the first grade teachers to utilize the Ball-Stick-Bird program in their classrooms.  To gauge the effectiveness of this program’s influences on reading efficiency and comprehension, the Developmental Reading Assessment will be intermittently administered throughout the school year to the children engaged in the program.

Best Practices (Exemplars) in Urban Education
Dr. Asa Hilliard was a pioneering scholar who sought a greater balance in the history curriculum as it is taught in American elementary and secondary schools and at the university level. He was a special kind of freedom fighter who struggled to liberate us from the bondage of ignorance of our rich African heritage.

He said, "Basic change in our condition as a people must begin with our change of mind." He believed that every child can learn. He was always correcting the historical record and opposed the mis-teaching of European and American history and sought an inclusive truth in historical courses. In addition to stand-alone courses on African history and culture, he developed K-12 school curricula that infused African and African American content in virtually all subjects.   He always sought to highlight exemplars in urban education those teachers who were teaching excellence.

With his guidance in 2007, the Alonzo Crim Center for Urban Educational Excellence hosted two exemplars, Tommie Lindsay and Gloria Merrieux.

Teacher Initiative: Ball-Stick-Bird Program and the Staff Development Project
Under the objective of increasing teacher initiative, the Alonzo A. Crim Center for Urban Educational Excellence sponsored the implementation of the Ball-Stick-Bird reading program, developed by Dr. Renee Fuller, at Columbia Elementary School in Decatur, Georgia.  The Ball-Stick-Bird series aims to immerse students in the contextual and implicit learning of reading skills through progressive stories based on theories of developmental linguistics.  Research has supported the efficacy of this reading program in increasing the reading fluency and reading comprehension of students with low IQ scores as well as for students who are at-risk for illiteracy.  The projected plan encompasses the proctoring of this program by a teacher at Columbia Elementary School, who will train the first grade teachers to utilize the Ball-Stick-Bird program in their classrooms.  To gauge the effectiveness of this program’s influences on reading efficiency and comprehension, the Developmental Reading Assessment will be intermittently administered throughout the school year to the children engaged in the program.  As part of the Staff Development and Curriculum Enhancement project, the Crim Center facilitated and hosted ongoing research, workshops, and training sessions that promoted professional development for in-service teachers, and identified supplemental learning resources that can compliment or enhance the curriculums that are currently used by teachers.  Along another avenue, the Crim Center supported teacher development through co-sponsoring a campus event intended to enlighten and train future educators around holiday customs and traditions 

Culturally-Relevant Curriculum Research Project
In response to the recent focus on culturally-relevant teaching strategies, motivated by the policies of No Child Left Behind, the Associate Director of the Alonzo A. Crim Center for Urban Educational Excellence has begun interviews with urban educators to identify cultural themes and biases that require intervention and re-education. The possible emergent themes are proposed as basis for curriculum development and the establishment of a feedback loop for educators trained through the center on cultural competent teaching strategies.  Teacher and student interviews are also being conducted to collect characteristics of “good students” and “good teachers”, ranging across student populations with representation from White, African-American, and Hispanic students.  A case study is the proposed framework for analysis to isolate consistent themes.  Thus far, teachers and students from 14 schools throughout Gwinnett County have been interviewed; the interviewing process is projected to extend into Spring 2008.