Welcome
to
(MSS)
Brookens 327
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|
Prospective Students
·
Induction
|
School
District Partnership Agreement | Community
College Partnership Agreement
University
Why teach is a question many students now ask themselves about a career that
many consider passé or no longer important.
Teachers play a significant role in shaping the future of individuals, a
community, a society, and a nation. Teachers are role models of success for all
children, of all backgrounds. Students who choose to share their talents, experiences,
and perspectives on teaching will embark on the most important, exciting and
rewarding challenge of a lifetime. Project Midstate Student Support for
Teaching is designed to help individuals who are serious about this
challenge to succeed.
Program
History:
Project MSS is a partnership program of the University of Illinois at
Springfield, Lincoln Land Community College, Richland Community College,
Springfield School District 186 and Decatur School District 61. It is designed to recruit and introduce local
students to the teaching profession beginning at the junior year of high school
and continuing through the community college and
The program began in 1990 with the first group of high school juniors. In 1994, the first student entered UIS. The first MSS student certified through UIS was in 1997.
Currently, Project MSS has graduated eighteen teachers. Their average cumulative grade point average
is 3.2. Each of these graduates successfully passed all the assessments
of the Illinois State Board of Education and excelled in student teaching. Four of the eighteen have been admitted into
graduate education--two enrolled in the University of Illinois system (one at
UIS and one at UIUC). Project students
have donated over 2000 hours of community service to the
Project MSS has graduated teachers in
traditional shortage areas--namely, mathematics, science and English.
Program Goals:
· To provide a forum for district administrators and college professionals to design and support a teaching recruitment initiative that addresses the needs of the major stakeholders.
· To prepare highly qualified teachers knowledgeable of the demands and expectations of students and teachers in an urban school district.
· To provide support and incentives for highly qualified students to become certified teachers in one of two urban school districts.
The Program:
Through a series of carefully designed monthly activities,
Project MSS participants are introduced to the teaching profession.
These activities include but are not limited to:
* Field Trips
* Speakers
* Classroom Observations
* Workshops
* School Visitations
* Seminars
* Academic Camp-Ins
* Service Learning Projects