Jobs And Interview

admin · Site Admin Joined: 05 Jul 2005 Posts: 689

The South Carolina Center for Teacher Recruitment (SCCTR) is the oldest and most effective teacher recruitment center in the nation. It began as a center that piloted a Teacher Cadet Program in four high schools and now operates 12 programs aimed at identifying, attracting, placing and retaining well-qualified teachers in South Carolina classrooms. The SCCTR also assists state and local leaders in addressing the issue of teacher recruitment and retention.

State leadership for career/technical education in South Carolina is working with the SCCTR staff to make career/technical teachers a target group and to develop a strategy for these teachers. South Carolina is anticipating hiring as many as 250 career/technical teachers over the next four years.

The SCCTR target groups are middle and high school students, college students and adults. The Center provides these major programs:

Minority Recruitment — This program offers activities to increase the number of minorities entering education. It includes a partnership with the South Carolina Association of Black School Educators and the Eisenhower Consortium for Mathematics and Science Education.

ProTeam Middle School Program — This program is designed to interest middle school students in the education profession before they become "turned off" to the possibility of a career in teaching. Participating in teacher-like activities is essential to the program.

Teacher Cadet Program — This recruitment strategy is designed to attract high school students. The Teacher Cadet Program includes 144 high schools in 77 school districts, serving 2,230 high school juniors and seniors in 1999-2000. Program participants consistently outscore their peers on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). Their average score of 1066 was almost 100 points higher than the average in South Carolina.

College Partnerships — These associations are the result of SCCTR working with the State Department of Education to allow Teacher Cadet students to earn one Carnegie unit of credit as well as college credit.

College HelpLine and Teaching Fellows — This program directs assistance to support college students especially in need of help, such as first-generation college students, low-income students and students of color. The HelpLine provides advice and support needed to enroll in higher education.

The South Carolina Teaching Fellows Program is designed to recruit high school seniors into the teaching profession and to help them develop leadership qualities. Each year the program provides Fellowships for up to 200 high school seniors. A Fellow attends one of nine state Teaching Fellows institutions. They participate in specifically-designed campus and SCCTR programs that include advanced curriculum and professional development opportunities and $6,000 yearly in scholarships for the four years required to complete a degree leading to teaching certification. A Fellow agrees to teach in South Carolina for one year for every year he or she receives the Fellowship. In 2000-2001, SCCTR recruited 150 new Fellows to join the first cohort completing their freshman year.

Teacher Database/Online Application — This is the only statewide education job placement service available in South Carolina. It has matched certified teachers with vacancies in hard-to-fill geographic and/or subject areas. Candidates can complete one application for any teaching job in South Carolina, and the applications downloaded electronically to school district personnel administrators daily.

S.C. Expo for Teacher Recruitment — In 2001, this program registered over 1,200 candidates from 34 states and three foreign countries. Approximately 19 percent of teachers hired in South Carolina for the 2000-2001 school year came from outside the state.

Teacher Forum — This SCCTR initiative sponsors meetings and other activities designed to: recognize and involve state and district Teachers of the Year; enhance the image of the teaching profession; develop teacher leadership; and give teachers a voice in educational efforts in an attempt to retain the best and brightest teachers in the workforce.

Teachers in Residence Program — This SCCTR program identifies outstanding teachers and give them a Fellowship to work for the Center. Teachers in Residence offers site support for the Teacher Cadet program, college partnerships, ProTeam program and local Teacher Forums.

National Board Certification — The SCCTR administers candidate support programs offered by the state. South Carolina ranks fifth in the nation in the number of newly-named certified teachers for 2000-2001 and ranks sixth overall in the number of statewide teachers.

Communications — The SCCTR capitalizes on statewide and global accessibility to technology. Its Web site (www.scctr.org) and online registration system are used for all major conference and meetings. The Center also publishes a newsletter called "CenterPoint".

SCCRT, SDE Office of Certification and the Office of Career and Technology Education will launch a marketing and teacher recruitment plan in January 2002 in a partnership effort to address the pending teacher shortage on the horizon. The plan will be developed by a professional marketing and communication firm. The plan will include marketing and recruitment plans, timelines and materials for distribution during career nights and for the military as well as colleges and universities.