5-year ACHIEVE partnership launched

Administrative and faculty leaders from Alcorn State University, public school districts, and community colleges joined colleagues at Mississippi State April 6 to launch an $8.5 million teacher education improvement project.

Funded by the federal Department of Education, the ACHIEVE Mississippi Partnership will work to change the way teachers teach and the way students learn. The five-year endeavor will train 1,800 elementary and secondary education majors in problem- and studio-based learning techniques that rely heavily on technology.

MSU president Malcolm Portera stressed the partnership's importance in training with new methods and new technology.

"ACHIEVE Mississippi aims to do nothing less than to raise significantly the level of achievement in math, science and reading by students in 24 targeted public school districts around the state," he said. "We are starting from the premise that the most important variable in teaching is the classroom teacher."

Portera said the project provides $1.7 million to the participating school districts to help upgrade their instructional technology. Four community colleges--Copiah-Lincoln, East Mississippi, Meridian, and Itawamba--also are involved in the partnership.

Malvin Williams, Alcorn State's vice president for academic affairs, said the historic partnership challenges the direction of teacher preparation in Mississippi.

"This is an extremely important project involving the state's two land-grant institutions that is designed overall to improve the quality of life for people in Mississippi," Williams said. "The development of new teacher education programs and the dissemination of our results will benefit all children in the state."

State higher education commissioner Thomas Layzell said he is excited to see the university and community college faculty working together to change teacher education.

Olon Ray, Layzell's counterpart at the state community and junior college board, emphasized the sense of urgency for change expressed by state business leaders.

"More and more, business will look at what the employee brings, regardless of a diploma," he said. "I like the project because we're thinking outside of the box with ACHIEVE Mississippi. We're bringing new approaches.

"Community college people are excited about this project and about the value of our relationship with Mississippi State and Alcorn State."

Malvin Williams of Alcorn State University (l) and Commissioner of Higher Education Thomas Layzell (c) joined MSU President Malcolm Portera on campus recently to launch a new $8.5 million teacher education effort.