ROCKY MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA – The North Carolina Wesleyan University Teacher Education Program received a $10,000 grant from the Longleaf Fund Foundation. This is an anonymous donor advised fund at Foundation for the Carolinas (FFTC) that provides grants to organizations in the Carolinas to support capital projects for at-risk youth. The grants are intended to help communities create opportunities for a brighter future for their youth.
Dr. Kelvin L. Spragley, Director of Teacher Education, shares “What this Longleaf Fund Grant means to a Teacher Education student is that s/he will learn needed skills required to be successful as an educator when implementing parent, school, and community partnership efforts.”
How this grant will be used
Beginning Fall 2024, proceeds from the grant will be used to support the K-12 public school students who receive tutoring via the NC Wesleyan Award-Winning After-School Program. Dr. Spragley will utilize funds “to purchase 10 laptops (with software) and 10 hotspots (for students who do not have home internet). These materials will be used to aid the K-12 students, who have IEPs and are tutored by students in the NC Wesleyan Teacher Education program, with their work in the primary content areas of Reading, Math, and Science/Biology.”
The critical steps involved in this project are as follows:
- Students will complete as much school work as possible while receiving tutoring at the once-each-week after-school program.
- Students will be allowed to sign out laptops and/or hotspots to complete work at home
- Students will continue with Zoom sessions with tutors between tutoring sessions
- Students will return equipment and NC Wesleyan will track student progress while working in conjunction with parents and building-level teachers.
Dr. Spragley believes “Instruction emphasizes critical thinking, analytical reasoning, reading, writing, speaking, making informed ethical decisions, and using new information technologies.” Providing necessary resources for 30+ students will make a lasting improvement on Wesleyan’s Teacher Education Program, but also in the students’ lives.
