Colleges team up to make IMPACT

Even teachers need to be taught now and then.

The College of Education and Human Services (COEHS) and the arts and sciences departments at Marshall have joined to find new ways to enhance the preparation of teachers in West Virginia. The program is called IMPACT (Implementing Model Practices to Assure Competent Teachers).

IMPACT is a grant implemented by the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) and the State College and University Systems of West Virginia.

According to the College of Education, this grant will allow those who participate in preparing teachers to meet easily and increase the dialogue that can benefit West Virginia. "It has allowed everyone involved with teaching to get together at one time," Jane McKee, associate dean of the College of Education, said.

Members of the Action Committee for the Enhancement of Teacher Education (ACETE) range from faculty of the College of Education to the art and science departments. The committee covers the counties in Regional Education Service Area (RESA) II, which include Cabell, Lincoln, Logan, Mason, Mingo and Wayne.

ACETE members will advise the WVDE and the State College and University Systems of West Virginia and recommend ways to enhance the teacher programs for the COEHS. They will also suggest changes that will affect student learning in West Virginia.

In the teacher education program, each student needs to graduate with certain capabilities for the specialty.

For example, if a student wants to be an English teacher, he or she needs to know not only the basics of English, but how to teach them effectively, Maudie Karickoff, director of clinical experiences, said.

"Public schools already have certain educational objectives and our teachers need to be prepared for that," Karickoff said.

The West Virginia Department of Education has set up Instructional Goals and Objectives for schools in the state. Public school teachers are responsible for delivering those objectives to students, Karickoff said.