Center for Partnerships at the College of Charleston

Brings Together Community Organizations to Improve Education

Representatives from greater Charleston’s business, civic, religious, and education organizations met today on the College of Charleston campus to share information about their past and future support of Burke High School. The meeting was sponsored by the Center for Partnerships to Improve Education as part of its ongoing effort to improve academic achievement through community partnerships.

Members of Burke High School, Charleston County School District, the Citadel, Trident Technical, ABC News Four, South Carolina World Trade Center, the Mayor’s Office for Children, Youth, and Families, and other groups had the opportunity to talk about their programs, learn about overall school improvement efforts, and to meet the school’s new principal, Charles Benton.

The meeting’s purpose, says Paula Egelson, Director of the Center for Partnerships, is to unify the community’s efforts to improve academic achievement at Burke High School.

More than 20 groups already support or will be supporting programs at Burke High School. Today’s meeting was the first opportunity for many of the organizations’ members to meet one another and learn more about what is being offered on a voluntary basis at Burke High School.

Next steps include coordinating each group’s efforts with the school for the upcoming year in order to maximize their resources and unify the effort to improve academic outcomes for Burke High School’s students.

The Center for Partnerships to Improve Education is a division of the School of Education, Health, and Human Performance, at the College of Charleston. It was established in 2005 to address improvement of PK-12 education in South Carolina.

For more information about the Center for Partnerships to Improve Education, contact Dr. Paula Egelson, Director: (843) 953-7629.