For nearly a decade, Mercer University’s McDonald Center for the Advancement of Global Education has been working with school teachers and leaders in the Dominican Republic to improve education in the country.
Current efforts include in-country support and training, virtual assistance from abroad, and hosting Dominican educators on the Mercer campus.
“Thanks to a generous gift from Tom and Ramona McDonald, the McDonald Center for the Advancement of Global Education was established in 2015 to impact teaching and learning in the Dominican Republic and beyond,” said Senior Vice President of Enrollment Management. says Dr. Penny Elkins. At Mercer. “It’s just amazing to see the tremendous increase in teacher and leader engagement in the region from the beginning of the program to where we are now.”
The Center will hold its annual Summer Conference on Teaching and Learning in the Dominican Republic in August, and will be promoting the “Mercer Module on Instructional Planning, Implementation and Evaluation,” said Dr. Nabella Jean-Walker, associate professor and director of the project. He said he has further trained educators on the subject. of clinical practice.
For the first time, a representative from the country’s Ministry of Education attended the center’s meeting. Although the Ministry was aware of the Center’s activities from the beginning, attendance at meetings was high.
“The Department of Education’s involvement is a way to sustain, accelerate and expand the Mercer module across the country with the aim of improving student achievement through instructional leadership and researched best practices,” Dr. Walker said. .
Tom McDonald, who along with his wife funded the McDonald Center for the Advancement of Global Education, said the Department of Education’s involvement is a sign of progress in the Dominican Republic.
“From my standpoint, this is a huge step forward,” he said. “Working with them and coordinating projects means we can scale them better and faster.”
So far, the center has impacted hundreds of teachers and thousands of students, McDonald said.
“The more educated people are, the more likely they are to have a productive life, a life that they can enjoy. It’s good for the country, too.” “This island nation needs to attract industry to get jobs. So if we educate our people, we have a chance to attract other industries, which is good not only for the people but also for the country. ”
Initially, the project in the Dominican Republic involved teachers and leaders from public and private schools in Region 5, consisting of the San Pedro de Macoris region and Eastern Central University. This year, students from 12 regional schools in the Higuey region were also included.
This year’s conference was attended by approximately 100 participants and led by four people from the College of Education. Melanie Robinson, assistant professor at Dalton State University; and Corinne Williams, Texas State Mathematics Content Specialist. The Marserian was Dr. Walker. Dr. Cynthia Anderson, former assistant professor; Dr. Elaine Thurmond, Assistant Professor of Clinical Practice. Lottie Harris is a former College of Education student and retired teacher.
“Teachers in the Dominican Republic had the opportunity to actually work with the Mercer module and see how they can collaborate and plan with school leaders,” Dr. Walker said. “Then they go back to school with a supportive team, all speaking the same language that was used at the conference. They can go back to school and put it into practice.”
As a conference speaker this summer, Harris presented teachers with engaging instructional strategies, including math games.
“Teachers really want to help kids, and they really want strategies to help students,” Harris said. “I demonstrated how to use those strategies, how to implement them, and how to help the kids use those strategies when working together. If that doesn’t work, We showed them different alternatives they could do.”
Dr. Anderson has been working with the center since its second year of existence. Visiting schools and classrooms is an important part of the center’s work.
During these visits, the center “conducts walk-throughs within school buildings, facilitates on-site professional learning, makes classroom observations, and collaborates with school leaders,” Dr. Anderson said.
“We have the opportunity to interact with students. We can sit on the floor with kindergartners and participate in a Socratic seminar with high school students.”
Until recently, the Dominican Republic did not have a formal national assessment program to measure student achievement. Last spring, her third-graders across the country completed a national test, and the results were used as a benchmark to support student achievement plans.
Mercer representatives plan to foster professional learning with school leaders about data analysis and use it to inform decisions about instructional implementation and support, Dr. Anderson said.
The focus of the Center’s activities in the Dominican Republic is currently on sustainability. The key to sustainability is identifying participants in professional learning sessions, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to re-deliver that learning to others across the country, and designing systems to monitor and support their work. That’s it.
The ideal goal would be for Mercer to step back and allow Dominican leaders, teachers and supporters to take the lead in improving student achievement.
“The consistent and frequent interactions and professional learning opportunities provided by Mercer University faculty continue to expand in scope and impact, as evidenced by our recent enhanced collaboration with the Department of Education.” Dr. Elkins said. “This will significantly advance McDonald’s vision to create sustainable improvements in education, instruction and student learning outcomes in the region.”