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The School of Education at the University of Arkansas at Monticello  has established a new partnership with Drew Central Elementary School to build a Literary and Math Learning Lab Classroom. The partnership provides teacher education candidates at UAM with opportunities to apply their coursework in a public-school setting while supporting instruction for elementary students.

Supported by the UAM Centennial Grant, the partnership has equipped the lab classroom with the necessary technology and high-quality instructional materials designed to enhance learning for both UAM students and Drew Central Elementary students. 

The partnership’s pilot course is Teaching Literacy, which is taught on the Drew Central Elementary campus by Crystal Grimes, instructor of education at UAM. College students enrolled in the course have been admitted by the School of Education as teacher education candidates. Candidates work directly with an elementary classroom selected specifically for the partnership. Candidates first learn literacy concepts and instructional strategies from Grimes and then teach those concepts to the elementary students, assessing their progress to identify learning gaps. If a learning gap is detected, candidates create a plan to help students strengthen those skills. The entire process occurs under the supervision of Grimes and Drew Central Elementary teachers.

Dr. Kimberly Wilkerson, associate dean of graduate education for the School of Education and associate professor of education at UAM, emphasized that this experience will bridge the gap between theory and practice while preparing candidates for future requirements. “Our undergraduate teaching candidates in the Teaching Literacy course will be required to take the Foundations of Reading test at the end of the fall semester,” Dr. Wilkerson said. “As a result, UAM students benefit not only from the coursework but also the hands-on work and practicum experience they are gaining with students at Drew Central, which will help prepare them for success on the Foundations of Reading test.”

In addition to strengthening candidates’ instruction skills, the partnership provides candidates with valuable classroom teaching experience. The candidates will be eligible to begin their clinical internships in the spring. “When they get into their internship, they’re actually planning their own lessons and having to come up with everything. So, it is giving them some experience before they reach that point,” Grimes explained.

Samantha Mann, principal of Drew Central Elementary, said, “Drew Central Elementary is proud to partner with the UAM School of Education to provide future educators with meaningful, hands-on experiences in authentic classroom settings. This partnership allows UAM students to put their learning into practice while also bringing additional support, energy and innovative ideas to our elementary students. We are excited to help prepare the next generation of educators while creating valuable learning opportunities for everyone involved.”

The School of Education intends to expand the partnership in spring 2027 by incorporating mathematics instruction into the lab classroom, eventually offering Teaching Literacy, Advanced Teaching Literacy and Teaching Mathematics consecutively on the Drew Central Elementary campus.

Dr. Kim Level, dean of the School of Education at UAM, said, “The partnership between the UAM School of Education and Drew Central Elementary has been an exceptional collaboration that continues to grow in both impact and value. The lab school setting provides teacher candidates with valuable opportunities to apply practical strategies, engage in authentic classroom experiences and learn from strong models of literacy instruction before their clinical internships. The success of this partnership has been tremendous, and I am excited about future opportunities to expand our collaboration into additional content areas.”

For more information about the partnership, contact Dr. Kimberly Wilkerson at wilkersonkk@uamont.edu or 870-460-1661.

 

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Academics, School of Education, Support and Partnerships