Partnership Sites are P-12 schools interested in providing clinical placements for teacher candidates. Partnership Sites provide opportunities for teacher candidates to work with P-12 students to develop their teaching skills and meet university course requirements, as appropriate for each candidate’s level in the program. University-based faculty also visit Partnership Sites regularly to supervise advanced practicum students and teaching interns. While different schools’ academic requirements and practices may vary, teachers working with candidates in Partnership Sites support teacher candidates in trying out innovative ideas consistent with their education course work.
Benefits for participation as a Partnership Site include:
- staff development through teacher involvement with teacher candidates, including serving as models for the teacher candidates in their classrooms, developing observation and supervisory skills, and access to information regarding current research and practice through teaching candidates and their supervisors;
- enhanced student-staff ratios resulting from the involvement of the teacher candidates;
- first-hand observation of potential candidates for openings at the school;
- enhanced access to the university for staff development needs; and course tuition reductions for teachers who coach full-time interns at each site.
For clinical experiences to run smoothly and to the greatest advantage of children, teachers, schools, and teacher candidates, each Partnership Site that hosts teacher candidates requires a school-based faculty member or administrator who has specific responsibilities in supporting USC candidates working on-site. The College of Education has Partnership Sites in 33 of the 81 school districts in South Carolina. Actual placement sites vary from semester to semester, but in general include over 100 schools from six Columbia area districts: