MOC joins with local school districts to improve education
By Staff Reports
Published in News on August 10, 2009 1:46 PM
Mount Olive College has formed a partnership with the Wayne County Public, the Clinton City Public Schools, the Duplin County Public Schools and the Sampson County Public Schools to improve education.
The Consortium for Orchestrating Regional Education, or CORE, will provide the resources for lateral entry teachers to obtain licensure through an alternative program dubbed APPLE, an acronym for "A Progression of Practical Learning Experiences."
The year-long intensive program is designed to bridge the gap between theory and practice, said Dr. Tommy Benson, chairman of the Department of Education at Mount Olive.
"North Carolina traditionally has not been able to produce enough teachers to meet the demand," said Benson. "This program will help surrounding school systems attract quality people who already have a baccalaureate degree but no teaching license and develop them quickly into great teachers who can hopefully make a difference in the lives of our children. This makes it a win/win situation for school systems who are struggling to fill classrooms and for children who need quality instruction. Our program is also accessible to surrounding areas and is of a shorter duration than many lateral entry programs."
In the CORE partnership Mount Olive College will work with the school systems to create learning communities made up of college faculty and practicing teachers and administrators to guide lateral entry teachers through practical learning experiences in line with the North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards.
The first program will begin this month and will feature online instruction and Saturday seminars. Successful participants will receive a recommendation for licensure from Mount Olive College.
For more information, call Benson at 658-2502.