ROCKY MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA – North Carolina Wesleyan University announces the addition of Dr. Kelvin Spragley as their new Director of Teacher Education. Dr. Spragley will also serve as Wesleyan’s Coordinator of Diversity and Inclusion Programming. He begins on January 4, 2021.
Dr. Spragley is a U.S. Army veteran, who has worked in the Wake County Public School System for seven years as a Social Science teacher. He also served as an Education Consultant for the North Carolina Association of Educators. From 2001-2010, Dr. Spragley worked concurrently as Associate Executive Director of the 60,000-member North Carolina Association of Educators and Executive Director for the North Carolina Foundation for Public School Children, a 501 (c) (3) non-profit that provides support to needy public-school children and grant support to public- school educators.
Dr. Spragley completed his degrees in the following areas and locations: Chowan University (A.A. in History-1991); East Carolina University (B.S. in Education-1993); North Carolina State University (M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction-1999); and North Carolina State University (Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction-2009). During the past nine years, Dr. Spragley served in a variety of roles at Louisburg College, including Interim Academic Dean and VP of Academic Life, as well as Division Chair for Business Studies & Social Sciences. In addition, he was a Professor of History and Education while at Louisburg College, where he also served as the Director of the A.A. in Education program.
“We are extremely fortunate to have someone with Dr. Spragley’s vast knowledge, accomplishments and vision to lead both the Teacher Education program and contribute substantively to a culture that embraces diversity and inclusion,” stated Dr. Molly Wyatt, Interim Provost. “Dr. Spragley will provide strategic direction for initiatives on cultural competencies, gender differences, building a climate of equity and inclusion, and other topics designed to increase awareness and support of equity and inclusion values — especially those that affirm the College’s core values of empathy and understanding.”
As Director of Teacher Education, Dr. Spragley will be responsible for teaching two undergraduate courses each semester, working with students in field experiences, supervising student-teachers, serving as chair of the Teacher Education Council and as liaison to State Education activities, coordinating and overseeing licensure, approving adjunct faculty, facilitating and submitting curriculum recommendations to the Curriculum Committee in collaboration with the Division Chair, preparing annual reports for accrediting agencies and leading the accreditation process. In his role as the Coordinator of Diversity and Inclusion Programming, Dr. Spragley will be responsible for collaborating with College leadership to create, implement and monitor strategic initiatives designed to build awareness and growth among students as it relates to diversity and inclusion.
Dr. Spragley is married to Mrs. Tracey Lofton Spragley, a public-school teacher of 27 years and wife of 25 years. The couple has two children, Kelsey (24), who is a lab scientist for ThermoFisher Pharmaceuticals, and Kelvin, Jr. (18), who is a freshman at Wake Technical Community College.
The National Education Association Awards CREATE Grant to NCWC
Grant to Benefit College’s Teacher Education Program
ROCKY MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA – North Carolina Wesleyan University recently received a CREATE grant from the National Education Association (NEA) Center for Great Public Schools Aspiring Educators Program. The $2,000 grant is to benefit the Students Helping Students Afterschool Program for Social Justice.
Led by Dr. Patricia Brewer, NCWC’s Professor and Coordinator of Special Education, Students Helping Students is a service learning project within the College’s Teacher Education program. The initiative provides afterschool services to K-12 children with learning differences in Nash-Rocky Mount Schools. The program has received statewide recognition and is designed for education students to provide individualized instruction in math and reading. Additionally, the program provides parent advocacy training. Dr. Patricia Brewer facilitates this part of the program for parents of participating K-12 children.
“We are so excited about this grant,” stated Dr. Brewer. “Pre-service education students become strong, confident and intentional in educational practices with diverse learners and parents. They consistently support high expectations that result in growth and positive outcomes.”
Students Helping Students Afterschool Program for Social Justice fosters connections and investigations for critical inquiry of exceptional students’ needs in the classroom. This Social Justice grant will allow NC Wesleyan’s pre-service education students to become reflective practitioners beyond the boundaries of the school. Through the grant, pre-service students will increase their passion and impact the lives of K-12 students using a pedagogy of culturally responsive practices and differentiated strategies.
The National Education Association (NEA) offers mini-grants to teacher education programs for teacher quality, community engagement, social justice and political advocacy. The NEA is the nation’s largest professional employee organization and is committed to advancing the cause of public education. NEA’s three million members work at every level of education—from pre-school to university graduate programs. The association has affiliate organizations in every state and in more than 14,000 communities across the United States.
