Center for Pre-K-12 Initiati...

Center for Pre-K-12 Initiatives in Education

Ensure great education for future generations.

Take part in Worcester State's effort to improve education.

The Center for Pre-K-12 Initiatives in Education oversees the quality, program development and implementation, integration, interdisciplinary collaboration, and research of Worcester State University’s pre-kindergarten through grade 12 programs. The Center also monitors the ways Worcester State is serving the greater Worcester area educational community to assure the programs are well-organized and beneficial for students and community partners.

Worcester State has been preparing highly qualified teachers since first opening its doors in 1874, and was an early leader in educating teachers of color. Sara Wilson, a member of the Class of 1894, became one of Worcester’s first African American teachers, working at Belmont Street School for 49 years.

What can I do to help local schools?

The Center collaborates with local K-12 schools, including Worcester Public Schools, by offering innovative outreach programs to address the needs of schools, teachers, students, and administrators. Work includes the following.

Providing schools with resources to improve their state classification level.

Conducting research on the impact of teaching and learning strategies.

Providing professional development for teachers in the public schools.

Offering MCAS/PARCC—& MTEL—preparation courses (credit and non-credit).

Recruiting students from underrepresented groups into teacher education.

Coordinating the Worcester Future Teachers program.

Hosting summer programs in content areas across departments.

Attending school fairs & family nights at area public schools.

Coordinating field trips of K-12 students to Worcester State

Our Involvement & the Change it Creates

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Call to Teaching Initiative

Worcester State’s Call to Teaching Initiative seeks to address the shortage of teachers of color in local public schools by recruiting middle and high school students of color to learn the craft of teaching in education major or minor programs. Worcester State is participating in a nationwide movement that aims to improve the ratio of minority teachers to minority children, who account for 50.3% of the total U.S. public school population, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

Approach & Outreach with Others

Our approach is to lead by example. We partner with recent Worcester State graduates of color who have found jobs as teachers to be passionate spokespeople for the profession. They speak at events that we host—in collaboration with Worcester Public Schools and Quinsigamond Community College—throughout the year at our campus as well as organizations in the city of Worcester.

Our outreach is informed with research by Storms Associates, which studied enrollment trends in our education programs. The goal of the initiative is to admit the first program cohort in the 2017 fall semester, which will be supported by comprehensive academic services such as scholarships, mentoring, MTEL test preparation and job placement assistance.