Georgia Center for Education Renewal

Mission Statement

The Georgia Center for Educational Renewal will address current issues and commonly-faced challenges encountered by school leaders and teachers in Georgia, throughout the U.S. and internationally. Specifically, the Center will focus its efforts on the challenges of increasingly stringent calls for higher performance by all student populations, the increasing achievement gap between white and minority students, between students from low and higher SES and the special challenges faced by schools serving rural areas. In order to improve education, including preschool through doctoral study, the Center will facilitate research, policy analysis, publication, and professional development of all levels. The Center will be committed to engaging constituents at all levels with the work of education renewal. The Center will build upon and extend the impact of on-going initiatives at Georgia Southern University, such as the Center for the Study of International Schooling, The Center for Educational Leadership and Service, and the University's partner school and P-16 co-reform initiatives. Much of the current school renewal/reform research and school/university education and renewal efforts have been conducted at larger universities that are embedded within large urban centers. The Georgia Center for Educational Renewal will address the differing educational issues and needs of small town/rural resource-poor schools. Together with the International Center, the Georgia Center will be able to conduct applied research on global reform issues at smaller, local school environments and address matters such as scale and adaptability in the process of education renewal.

Description of How the Center Fits into the University’s Existing Organizational Structure

The Georgia Center for Education Renewal is located at Georgia Southern University and administered through the College of Education. The director of the Center will be the Goizueta Foundation Endowed Professor. The professor/director will report directly to the Dean of the College of Education and will work in conjunction with the departments of the College, P-12 educators, University arts and sciences faculty, and community leaders. Faculty will receive part-time appointments to the Center for research and grant-writing purposes, as funding permits. As the Center matures and becomes financially self-sufficient, it will be served by a full-time administrative assistant as well as two graduate assistants, doctoral fellows and/or academic interns (at least one of which will be an international student.) Other staff and professors funded through external grants and contracts may supplement the core staff.

Purposes

Focuses on education renewal and/or reform in P-12 schools and in higher education geared toward enhancing student learning.
Promotes existing and new partnerships between the University and the P-16 community--locally, state-wide, nationally, and internationally--to facilitate improved teaching and learning in schools, especially for under-served populations.
Addresses current issues and commonly-faced challenges encountered by schools and teachers in Georgia, throughout the U.S., and internationally:
1. unfunded mandates such as public accountability,
2. evolving standards,
3. increasingly stringent calls for higher performance by all student populations,
4. increasing achievement gap between white and minority students and between students from low and higher SES,
5. growing numbers of students with diverse needs,
6. shrinking teaching and leadership forces,
7. integration of new technologies to promote learning, and other 21st Century educational directives.
Based on the premise that simultaneous renewal of both educator preparation and P-12 schools is needed for any fundamental improvement in education to occur
Study the impact of existing and experimental policy on student learning.

Present and Emerging Initiatives

The Center builds upon and extends the impact of on-going initiatives at Georgia Southern University:

Center for the Study of International Schooling,
Center for Educational Leadership and Service,
University’s partner school and P-16 co-reform initiatives.
Creation of the International Learning Community led by Georgia Southern University College of Education and 5 school/university partnerships in England— Cambridge, Derby, East London, Oxford Brookes, and Sheffield Hallam—focuses on school improvement P-16.
The creation of the nation’s first Professional Development School District.
Collaboration with Armstrong Atlantic State University and Savannah-Chatham County Schools to develop a series of degree programs with a focus on leadership skills needed by teachers and school/system administrators to assist low performing schools.
Participation in the National Network of Educational Renewal (NNER)
Lead Member in iNET

Functions of the Center

The Georgia Center for Education Renewal incorporates strategies, such as the following, to facilitate simultaneous renewal for institutions engaged in preparing teachers and leaders for the schools meet 21st century challenges:

GRANTS/RESEARCH. The Center conducts research on local, state, national, and international issues, including linking educator preparation, professional development, and documented, best practices with their impact on P-12 student learning.
- PRISM (Partnership for Reform in Science and Mathematics) $5,091,350 National Science Foundation grant, Fred Rich, Co-Principal Investigator, East Central Georgia Region PRISM.
- FIPSE (Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education) $160,000+ grant District Partnership with Screven County, 28 miles north of Statesboro
DISSEMINATION. Research findings are disseminated through a Center web site, web-based databases, NNER national network, presentations, testimonies, interactive speaker/seminar series, and a range of publications. See Description of How the Center Fits into the University's Existing Organizational Structure. The Center will maintain state, national, and international educational databases to provide information relative to ongoing education renewal efforts.
EVALUATION. Evaluation services for systemic education renewal initiatives at all levels (local, state, regional, national, and international) are provided by the Center. The Center will also maintain a clearinghouse of trained evaluators.
COLLABORATION. The Center convenes schools, institutions of higher education, organizations, and agencies that are engaged in inclusive education renewal and work to foster new collaborations.
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT. Opportunities to develop leadership skills that focus on student learning outcomes are offered to present and prospective educators and administrators. Leadership development is connected with current state, national, and international initiatives and with local school/system needs.
ON-LINE LEARNING. Coordinates AMI and Lincoln Educational Services projects to improve post-secondary teaching.

GCER Administrative Details

How the Director is appointed:
The director is appointed after a national search. The director must have the credentials to qualify for the Goizueta Professor of Educational Leadership endowed chair.

Advisory Council Information:
The Advisory Council is appointed by the president of Georgia Southern University upon recommendation of the director of the Center. The council is to be representative of the various stakeholders of the constituency of the Center: Georgia Southern administration, COE departments and administration, school districts, and business interests. The council meets once a year, usually in August. Council members serve for three years with 1/3 of the Council members rotating off each year. New Council members are recommended to the president in June of each year for appointment by the August meeting. Center initiatives are discussed with the council and the council provides suggestions on directions for the Center.

Advisory Council Members:
Peggy Chapman, Chamber of Commerce, Statesboro, Georgia
Lucinda Chance, Dean, College of Education
Sybil Fickle, College of Continuing Education
Stephanie Kenney, Associate Dean, Undergraduate Teacher Education and Accreditation
Linda Lewis, First District RESA
Pollyann Martin, Temples Company, Vidalia Georgia
Saundra Nettles, Dean Graduate School
Walter Polka, Leadership, Technology & Human Development
Jennie Rakestraw, Associate Dean, Graduate Research, Sponsored Programs and Development
Charles A. Reavis, Director GCER
Fred Rich, PRISM Co-PI & Cost
Jessie Strickland, Superintendent, Bulloch County Schools
Caren Town, CLASS
Susan Trimble, Teaching and Learning