The Francis Marion University Center of Excellence to Prepare Teachers of Children of Poverty works to solve the problems inherent in educating children of poverty by developing expertise in those that work with these children on a daily basis. Only through developing local capacity to solve problems will true progress be made in the struggle to help those in greatest need -- children of poverty. 

More specifically, the purpose of the Center of Excellence to Prepare Teachers of Children of Poverty is to increase the achievement of children of poverty by improving the quality of undergraduate teacher preparation, graduate teacher preparation, and the professional development of in-service teachers. The primary activities to be completed during the life of the Center include: (1) revising the undergraduate teacher education program, based on best practice research and practitioner insights, (2) training teachers in the conduct and use of research to increase their ability to make data-based decisions, (3) linking research directly with professional development, (4) helping teachers understand parents who live in poverty and the community resources that are available to them, and (5) seeking state certification for graduates of a to-be-developed Master’s Degree program in an effort to elevate the status of teachers of children of poverty.

To access the web site for the Center of Excellence, click here.  Please note that you will be leaving the Francis Marion University web site to access this site.