Educators, students, researchers, policymakers, and business leaders met at the Fairfield County School District on November 20, 2019, to announce the official launch of the Accelerator for Leadership and Leaning in South Carolina, ALL4SC. ALL4SC connects the assets of the entire University of South Carolina to support rural communities in order to help students and their families learn, achieve and thrive.

The School Board Chamber was nearly over capacity as the community gathered to hear University of South Carolina President Robert Caslen, Fairfield County Superintendant J.R. Green, ALL4SC director Barnett Berry and USC College of Education Dean Jon Pedersen announce this partnership.

“Very often we talk about educational reform and innovation in isolation of what occurs within schoolhouse walls.” noted Green when explaining the need to address out-of-school factors in order to transform South Carolina’s education system.

“If we are really being forward thinking we recognize that in order to change the trajectory of young people’s lives we have to address more than what happens within the schoolhouse walls.”

Kendall Dwayne Deas, Faculty Development Fellow with the Center for Sustainability at CofC, shared his excitement. “There is just so much wonderful potential with this program. Congratulations to all involved with All4SC.” said Deas. “Eager to learn more about this promising program to forge much needed connections between local area communities and the University of South Carolina.”