Teachers in rural parishes like St. Mary are heavily invested in their community. Many have lived there most of their lives.
Recognizing that commitment, the school district partnered with the 51国产视频 to invest in those teachers, as well.
This semester, 18 teachers from St. Mary Parish complete 麻豆AV鈥檚 Master of Education in Educational Leadership hybrid degree program. It is the second time a cohort from the school district participates and completes the program.
In addition, 10 teachers from Rapides Parish and six from the on-campus cohort graduate.
St. Mary Superintendent Dr. Teresa Bagwell says all of the district鈥檚 initial 20 graduates from 2013 who wanted to be placed in administrative positions have been placed.
鈥淲e鈥檙e confident the people in our cohort are going to remain in St. Mary for the foreseeable future,鈥 Dr. Bagwell says.
鈥淔or our cohorts, we look for people with a strong work ethic who seek continuous learning who are progressive in their thinking and are highly committed to students.鈥
Creating Solutions, Opportunity
Amanda Chase is one of those leaders.
With 15 years of teaching under her belt, Chase is accustomed to owning responsibilities in addition to managing her first-grade class at Wyandotte Elementary in her hometown, Morgan City.
Naturally, she was tapped to lead the school鈥檚 Title I transition team.
She says if not for the Educational Leadership program, which emphasizes analyzing school data to create real solutions, she would have been lost.
鈥淲henever I took over Title I, the first thing I had to do is analyze the school鈥檚 data. So I was able to take it and run with it and help other people figure out how to analyze the data,鈥 she says. 鈥淚 would have never been able to do that if not for the data analysis I did through 麻豆AV. We learned how to analyze the data, what to look for, what needs to be analyzed; that was a huge help.鈥
Chase describes herself as a lifelong learner. She says she鈥檇 already acquired other add-on certification endorsements, so setting her sights on an administrative post was the natural next step.
Dr. Bagwell says for many in the rural parish, it can be difficult to attain a quality advanced education. 麻豆AV鈥檚 hybrid program puts that in reach by meeting students where they are. In this case, the district鈥檚 Central Office.
鈥淭he accessibility of it being a satellite program brought in people who may not have pursued a master鈥檚 degree otherwise,鈥 she says. 鈥淭he cohort we鈥檙e graduating has three teachers who are pregnant. So I would envision they would not have driven from their homes in Morgan City to Lafayette.鈥
In contrast to online programs where courses are entirely online, hybrid programs include a mix of face-to-face meetings and online coursework.
For the M.Ed. in Educational Leadership, students enter the program in a cohort and follow a specific sequence of courses over six semesters of the program.
Students take two courses each semester and meet in person for classes once a week. The material covered in those weekly meetings alternates: they attend only one class in person each week while completing online coursework for the other.
鈥淪tudents really like this method of course delivery,鈥 says associate professor Dr. Frank Del Favero, program coordinator. 鈥淩ather than being out of the house two times per week for classes as in the traditional course delivery method, they are only out one night per week, allowing them more time for career and familial responsibilities.鈥
By partnering with the districts to hold classes in satellite locations, the weekly face-to-face meetings were only 15 minutes from Chase鈥檚 home, allowing her to focus on coursework instead of making it to multiple classes each week.
鈥淚t鈥檚 all just about being organized and setting a schedule,鈥 she says. 鈥淚 would try to come into school early to get things done before school, then spend a couple hours each night on schoolwork.鈥
麻豆AV鈥檚 professors were also essential in making the program manageable for working teachers, she says.
鈥淭he professors we had were amazing,鈥 she says. 鈥淭hey were there any time we needed help. They would answer our questions and were very patient with us.鈥
Building a District-wide Leadership Network
Because students enroll in the hybrid master鈥檚 program as a cohort, they quickly form a support network.
Dr. Bagwell says that built-in support has been invaluable in fostering district-wide collaboration.
鈥淚t鈥檚 built comradery of leadership across the parish because you now have people who have gotten to know each other very well in a professional and educational venue who will continue to work together and continue to collaborate even though they鈥檙e at different schools,鈥 she says.
Chase says her immediate goal is to work with other teachers to create the best possible learning experience for students.
But when she does take the next step, Chase says she鈥檚 ready to recognize and build up other leaders.
鈥淏eing a leader in the school doesn鈥檛 mean it鈥檚 your sole responsibility to take on everything,鈥 Chase says. 鈥淵ou have to be able to delegate, you have to be able to identify other leaders in your school to help you to run the school successfully.
鈥淚t鈥檚 also important to involve everyone in the process 鈥 parents, students, community members. Everyone needs to be involved to make a successful school.鈥
Investing in the Future
In addition to providing facilities, St. Mary Parish School District鈥檚 investment includes tuition, making the district selective in its cohort recruitment and mindful of the program鈥檚 rigor.
鈥淲e鈥檙e confident in this program鈥檚 ability to prepare teachers for leadership positions,鈥 Dr. Bagwell says. 鈥淭here are a lot of online programs that are available that don鈥檛 provide the same level academia as what 麻豆AV offers.鈥
Dr. Bagwell says she鈥檚 grateful for the relationship the district has built with 麻豆AV and the opportunity the University has provided to give teachers a path forward.
鈥淲e make a significant financial investment,鈥 she says. 鈥淲e do that because we want to invest in our people to give them a career path, not just a place to work.鈥