The South Carolina Center for Teacher Recruitment (SCCTR) is the oldest and most established teacher recruitment program in the country. The South Carolina Center for Teacher Recruitment, established by the Commission on Higher Education in December 1985 and funded by the South Carolina General Assembly, has completed its twelfth year of operation. Following the passage of the state?s landmark Education Improvement Act, the SCCTR was created out of a concern for the condition of South Carolina?s teacher supply pool and a need for a centralized teacher recruitment effort.

SCCTR?s recruitment agenda is a comprehensive one in which the Center pursues a variety of programs for increasing the number of students in the education pipeline and recruiting and retaining certified teachers. The SCCTR?s primary target groups are middle and high school students, college students and adults.

The Center for Teacher Recruitment is staffed by a director, an associate director, seven teachers in residence (including the S.C. Teacher of the Year) and four administrative assistants. The SCCTR has developed into a national model for teacher recruitment and has been adopted by approximately one-fourth of all teacher recruitment programs in the country.

The South Carolina Educator Recruitment Task Force, which oversees the Center?s budget and operations, includes representatives from 27 colleges and universities, state education agencies, professional education associations, the General Assembly and private businesses and industry. By mutual agreement of the Task Force members, the SCCTR is housed at Winthrop University, which provides financial services and fiscal accountability for the Center.

Planting the Seeds

By exposing students to teaching through a variety of programs and approaches, South Carolina is planting the seeds to grow its own teachers.

Beginning at the elementary level and going through high school, the South Carolina Center for Teacher Recruitment, in collaboration with the SC Education Association, participates in career fairs at local schools throughout the state.

Students are also exposed to teaching as a career through education clubs in the middle and high schools.

Our major recruitment program at the middle school level is the Pro-Team Program. It?s a semester or yearlong course offered to 7th and 8th graders.

Teacher Cadet, the flagship program of SCCTR, offers high school juniors and seniors an innovative, hands-on course with a rich curriculum that allows them to "test drive" teaching. They explore current issues in education and innovative teaching practices.

Nourishing

Nourishment in the form of rich and on-going professional development experiences are critical to the development and retention of a high quality teaching force.

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards has awarded SC a subsidy grant to assist teachers seeking board certification. Recipients will receive $1000 of the $2000 application fee. The National Board Certification process is an effort to develop professional standards for teaching. It is a voluntary process developed by teachers and other education stakeholders to recognize experienced teachers for the quality of their practice. Certification signifies that a teacher is accomplished, having met challenging professional teaching standards as evidenced by performance based assessments.

Once successfully recruited into teaching, teachers need assistance in locating suitable positions. School districts also seek ready access to qualified candidates. The SCCTR Teacher Job Bank allows schools and districts to locate job candidates and advertise openings to teachers looking for positions.

Teachers may use the Job Bank by filling out an On-line Application and submitting it to the Center along with a copy of their teaching certificate.

An "Available Teaching Positions" vacancy list is maintained through the Job Bank. Also, information about teacher salaries in South Carolina, shortage and surplus areas, initial certification and critical needs certification is available.

Each summer the SCCTR co-sponsors the SC Teacher Expo for Teacher Recruitment. The Expo is a teacher job/information fair that brings together teachers looking for new professional opportunities and South Carolina school districts looking for excellent teachers. The Expo is advertised nationally and attracts participants from a number of states.

Retaining

In order to retain highly qualified "Cream of the Crop" teachers in our state, the South Carolina Center for Teacher Recruitment supports a number of efforts.

The South Carolina Teacher of the Year serves a one-year residency at the SCCTR and assumes the chairmanship of the SC Teacher Forum, which is made up of district teachers of the year. The Forum works to encourage teacher leadership by helping its members develop leadership skills and engage in dialogue with policy makers on current educational issues.

The Teacher Forum Leadership Council establishes yearly goals and plans the fall and spring Teacher Forum Conferences. The group has published several Teacher Forum documents as a part of their yearly emphasis. The Local Teacher Forum Training Handbook, a guide to assist teachers in establishing local Teacher Forums, has been used extensively by districts throughout the state.

The SCCTR also supports teacher leadership and works to enhance the image of the teaching profession through its sponsorship of the SC Chapter of the National State Teachers of the Year (NSTOY) program. This group has published an NSTOY Speakers' Directory to offer the services and expertise of this outstanding group of educators to schools and districts statewide.

The Center encourages teachers to pursue mastery certification through the National Board for Professional Standards (NBPTS) by facilitating the distribution of the most current NBPTS information and the networking of NBPTS certified teachers with those seeking certification.

The Teacher Newsgroup allows teachers to network by sharing views and information on a variety of educational topics.

Institutional Mission and Context

SCCTR's Mission Statement: The purpose of the South Carolina Center for Teacher Recruitment (SCCTR) is to provide leadership in identifying, attracting, placing and retaining well-qualified individuals for the teaching profession in our state. In doing so, the SCCTR will respond to changing needs for teachers from underrepresented populations, in critical subject fields and in under-served geographical areas in South Carolina. The Center will work cooperatively with other organizations to promote the teaching profession.

Key Partnerships

The SCCTR is governed by a 21 member Policy Board that includes representation from teacher education programs, the General Assembly, the State Department of Education, the Commission on Higher Education, the Governor's Office, the business community, teachers of the year, etc. The SCCTR has partnerships with 24 teacher education programs that work directly with Teacher Cadet sites located throughout the state. There are currently 148 high schools participating in the Teacher Cadet Program and 43 middle schools participating in the Pro-Team Program. We also work with all 86 school districts to assist them with filling immediate vacancies.

For further information, contact:

Janice Poda
Director, SC Center for Teacher Recruitment
Ward House, Rock Hill, SC 29733
Telephone: 803-323-4032, Ext. 6411
Fax: 803-323-4044
E-mail: podaj@infoave.net

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