Rethinking the Rural Education Project

REP is working to reform the teacher preparation program and develop a comprehensive reform of the system for rural teacher recruitment, preparation, and induction/mentoring to improve student achievement by improving the quality of new teachers. This initiative is currently recruiting and preparing high-quality teachers for high-need rural LEA schools where a high percentage of teachers do not meet the required certification criteria, teacher attrition is prevalent, and student achievement remains persistently low.

Project Objectives/Outcomes:

• Establish a collaborative partnership among UWA-COE , the Sumter County Schools, and Demopolis City Schools for the REP Initiative

• Prepare teacher candidates to be high-quality teachers for high-need rural LEA schools

• Effectively place, support, and retain diverse and highly-qualified teachers in high-need rural LEA schools

• Improve the academic achievement of rural public school students through the reform of the educator preparation program.