NIET Partnership in South Carolina

Photo: Greer Middle College Charter School, South Carolina

NIET partners with districts and schools to build onsite capacity through coaching and professional learning opportunities for leaders.
NIET, in partnership with the University of South Carolina and the Branch Alliance for Educator Diversity (BranchED), received a 3-year, $2.5 million federal Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) grant to build the capacity of principals and school leaders and advance equity.
NIET provides statewide professional learning opportunities for classroom teachers in partnership with the South Carolina Department of Education.
NIET partnered in the development of the South Carolina Teaching Standards Rubric 4.0, which describes effective classroom teaching practices, and helps teachers to move to more student-centered instruction.

NIET’s work in South Carolina includes teacher leadership, professional learning, and educator evaluation and compensation. We work with district partners and with the state’s department of education.

Building school leader capacity and advancing equity

In the 2018-2019 school year, NIET entered a partnership with high-need schools designated for school improvement in Orangeburg, SC. Through intensive coaching and support for school leaders, NIET is helping leaders build their capacity to coach classroom teachers. For example, NIET coaches principals in the use of walk-throughs to identify and address immediate instructional needs.

In 2020, NIET, in partnership with the University of South Carolina and the Branch Alliance for Educator Diversity (BranchED), received a 3-year, $2.5 million federal Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) grant to build the capacity of South Carolina's principals and advance equity. The project is equipping school leaders to increase students' access to high-quality STEM education and social-emotional learning opportunities. The grant supports training in six high-need districts, reaching 150 administrators in 95 schools who serve a total of 58,000 students.

Read about Mellichamp Elementary's School of Promise award

Learn about the South Carolina Principal Leadership Network

Learn more about federal SEED grants in South Carolina

Meeting partner demands with statewide virtual instruction training

For the last several years, NIET has partnered with the South Carolina Department of Education to provide free virtual instruction training to teachers and principals statewide. The training aligns to the South Carolina Teaching Standards 4.0 Rubric and covers topics ranging from planning, delivering instruction, and providing an engaging virtual classroom environment. A key aspect of the training was giving teachers across the state a chance to learn from each other. Examining new techniques together helped participants make connections to their everyday practice and understand how deeper-level learning can be achieved.

Learn about blended and hybrid learning training in South Carolina

More about how South Carolina supported teachers during the transition to virtual learning in 2020

An investment in teacher preparation, observation, and evaluation

NIET partnered with the South Carolina Department of Education in the development of the South Carolina Teaching Standards 4.0, for classroom teacher observation, feedback, and evaluation. Following the adoption of the new state teaching standards, NIET trained educators statewide, beginning with faculty at higher education institutions' teacher preparation programs, followed by district and school staff.