Hot Springs School District has formed an educational partnership with the University of Southern California Rossier School of Education.
The partnership provides for $5,000 scholarships to any Hot Springs faculty and staff members who pursue and enroll in available master's degree programs through USC Rossier Online.
The district will have access to a broad range of benefits, including scholarships, enhanced professional development opportunities, webinars, recruitment support and hiring assistance. Rossier could customize webinars specifically for Hot Springs.
"This is a great opportunity for our district, especially our teachers who are interested in continuing their education and pursing a higher degree," said Superintendent Joyce Craft. "This partnership gives us another option for recruiting highly qualified teachers."
"We're so happy to welcome Hot Springs School District to the USC Trojan Family," said Karen Symms Gallagher, dean of Rossier.
"Our partnerships with high quality education systems around the country are critical to the success of our graduates. The Hot Springs District shares Rossier's vision of preparing exceptional teachers who can help all students, whatever their circumstances, to learn and succeed," she said.
The partnership comes at no cost to the Hot Springs School District.
Scholarships for $5,000 or more will be available to teachers in Master of Education in Teacher Leadership programs. Concentrations include Differing Abilities, Elementary STEM, Secondary STEM, Secondary Humanities. A Gifted Education Certificate specialization is available.
"Any teacher in your district who comes into these programs, we will, at minimum, insure that they have a $5,000 scholarship towards the program," said Ronni Ephraim of USC Rossier.
Seeds of the partnership were planted by Ebbie Parsons, managing partner at Yardstick Learning, when he and his wife Ayana, a Hot Springs graduate, visited Hot Springs. Parsons was impressed by the district's work and recommended Hot Springs to Rossier as a possible partner.
Craft and high school principal Lloyd Jackson were contacted by Rossier and Ephraim flew out from Los Angeles two months ago to discuss a possible partnership.
Ephraim is the chief academic officer for 2U Inc., a leader in delivering graduate and undergraduate degree and credit conferring programs online with top universities. She is also a faculty member at USC.
"I just thought it was a great opportunity, especially for our staff to get a $5,000 scholarship and for the district to have access to webinars," Craft said.
Ephraim returned to Hot Springs on Thursday to discuss the partnership at the monthly district administrators meeting. Ephraim was joined by Parsons and Keenan Courtland, of 2U partnership initiatives. Courtland will lead the follow-up work with the district now that the partnership is established.
"We just truly believe in the work you are doing," Parsons said.
Ephraim formerly served as deputy superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District and spent 33 years working in the district. She said she held great respect for the work being done by Hot Springs educators.
Rossier seeks to prepare teachers and improve education for children in urban and high-needs schools. Hot Springs was selected, in part, due to the number of Title 1 students in the district and the work being done to serve them.
Ephraim touted the school's exceptional master's candidates, field experience, committed graduates that stay in the field for a long time, professional development and scholarship opportunities.
The college does not specify use of any one curriculum. Ephraim said the program seeks to help teachers improve within the context of where they are currently teaching.
"We believe that the teachers who come into our program need to be using the curriculum that is part of their district's curriculum," Ephraim said.
"The idea of getting better at your work is that you are doing your work and thinking about how to get better and better at teaching."
Rossier Online provides rigorous programs, an interactive virtual campus, field-based teaching, personalized services and 24/7 technical service. The school offers live learning sessions and all candidates have an online portfolio.
Ephraim said students that complete the program receive a degree from USC. No references to the online program are seen on the degree.
"It's the same degree because it is the same curriculum," Ephraim said.
The USC school of education dates back more than 100 years, but it was expanded in 2008 to provide a wider reach of influence in education. Rossier partnered with 2U to make USC programs available across the country and the world.
Rossier has partnered with schools in 48 states and more than 15 countries, including South Korea, Germany and others. Ephraim said the school is very interested in a diverse student body.
Any graduates of the program that feel like they are struggling in their position can contact Rossier for assistance.
"We will pair them up with a faculty member to give them continual support or help them exit education," Ephraim said. "We don't believe that everybody needs to be in the classroom."
Ephraim added that Rossier may send a speaker this summer to the Hot Springs Technology Institute. A candidate to speak at HSTI is John Pascarella III, an expert in new media literacy.
Local on 03/16/2014