Master Teacher Mentors Announced for 34th Annual SECME Summer Institute

Posted by: Deborah Stewart- March 24th, 2010

District Teacher Among Eight Selected Nationally to Lead New SECME Mentoring Initiative

When educators from around the country convene at the 34th Annual SECME Summer Institute set for Clemson University in South Carolina this summer, Northboro Elementary School teacher Kisa Jarrett will not only be present, she’ll be serving as a SECME Master Teacher AND serving the SECME National Advisory Council—responsibilities that last throughout 2010-2011.

For over thirty years a major focus of SECME, Inc. (a national nonprofit formerly the Southeastern Consortium of Minorities in Engineering) has been teacher professional development focused on K-12 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). SECME’s capstone event for the professional renewal and revitalization is the Annual Summer Institute, hosted each year by one of its 39 member engineering universities.

This year the 34th Annual SECME Summer Institute will be hosted by Clemson University, South Carolina, June 23-July 1, 2010. This intense eight-day residential professional development opportunity, presented by member university faculty, partner industry experts, and SECME Master Teachers, provides educators with curriculum activities aligned to National Standards, cutting-edge content knowledge, and a framework for implementing a SECME program.

SECME Education Program Manager Lynda Byrne said Ms. Jarrett is a significant member of SECME’s cadre of teachers with a strong tradition of leadership in the organization’s National Office Education Program Division.”Because of her noteworthy contributions she is one of eight SECME Master Teachers tapped for a pilot program to expand the role of the SECME Master Teacher beyond the Summer Institute as a Professional Learning Community Mentor,” she added.

In March, this group of SECME Master Teacher Mentors, who are specialists in their disciplines, received mentoring training from a nationally recognized expert, Deborah Covin-Wilson, Director of Career Development for The Georgia Institute of Technology’s Office of Organizational Development. The focus of the pilot program is to enhance K-12 teaching and learning by providing SECME Summer Institute participant educators with post-Institute follow-up using trained SECME Master Teacher Mentors to assure personalized support.

SECME was founded in 1975 by the Engineering Deans from seven Southeastern universities: Alabama, Florida, Georgia Tech, South Carolina, Tennessee, Tennessee State, and Tuskegee. Today SECME is a non-profit alliance that extends to 40 school systems, 39 major engineering universities, and industries and agencies in 15 states, the District of Columbia, and Grand Bahamas. SECME’s mission is to increase the pool of historically under-represented and under-served students who will be prepared to enter and complete post-secondary studies in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), thus creating a diverse and globally competitive workforce. SECME provides teacher professional development and coordinates student competitions across the country. Its National Headquarters is housed on the campus of The Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia.

For more information please contact Lynda Byrne at 404-385-2728 or email lynda[dot]byrne[at]coe[dot]gatech[dot]edu. For more information about SECME please visit www.secme.org.