- Baptist Hill High School
The Center for Partnerships has been in partnership with Baptist Hill High School, located in rural Hollywood, South Carolina, since Fall 2007. Baptist Hill, a small school with a student population of 450, has steadily been improving its student outcomes under the leadership of principal Dr. James Winbush. The Center provides the school with support and resources in the form of classroom libraries for English classrooms, materials for a literacy magazine, student tutoring assitance, parental involvement activities, and tours of local colleges.
- Burke Middle High
In 2005, Burke High School became CPIE's first partnership school. The only public high school on the Charleston peninsula, Burke serves a predominantly African-American student population of approximately 700 with 552 students in grades 9-12 and 154 students in grades 7-8. Burke's mission is to provide a challenging academic program that includes a coherent curriculum, enhancement of career awareness through the use of technology and vocational opportunities, a safe and orderly environment, and integration of school, family, and community resources.
- Clark Academy
Clark Academy became a partnership school in August of 2008. Clark Academy is a unique program within Charleston county School District geared exclusively to help overage, at-risk students earn the credits they need to receive a South Carolina high school diploma. Within the program, students engage in core curriculum classes along with elective classes. Students are strongly encouraged to participate in credit recovery and acceleration opportunities available during and after school. Most classes at Clark have fewer than 15 students, giving the students the individualized attention they need to succeed. Clark Academy offers a variety of programs that help students build the social, personal, and interpersonal skills necessary to be successful in high school and beyond.
- Memminger Elementary School
Memminger Elementary School is a Charleston County Public School located in the heart of the Charleston Peninsula. Enrollment for the 2007–2008 school year included 336 students from Pre-K to sixth grade. The school's population is 97 percent African-American with 91 percent of students on the free and reduced lunch program. Memminger first opened its doors as Memminger Normal School for girls in 1857 and later transitioned into a high school in 1934. Twenty years later, a new building was constructed and the high school was established as an elementary school for both girls and boys.Memminger will experience an exciting transition to Memminger School of Global Studies--A University Partnership School in the fall of 2009. As a Global School, Memminger will adopt a rigourous inquiry-based philosophy. Memminger School of Global Studies brings the country's standards-based curriculum to life through the use of geography, social studies, language, and cultural appreciation.The College of Charleston developed a partnership wth the school in the 1970s and remains a strong partner today. Currently, the Center for Partnerships to Improve Education offers assistance through various programs at Memminger, including the Reading and Lunch Buddy Programs, A Student Tutoring Program, The Parent-Involvement Initiative, The Interactive Homework Program, The Memminger Partnership Committee, The Neighborhood Planning Team
- Berkeley Alternative School
Berkeley Alternative School is located in Berkeley County School District in Moncks Corner, South Carolina. The purpose of the school is to serve as an alternative for Berkeley County students in grades 6-12 who have had difficulty in adjusting to the traditional classroom setting or who were discipline problems. Berkeley Alternative provides methods for these students to experience a quality education in an atmosphere which is sensitive and meets the needs of the students on an individual level. The program provides a supportive environment with specialized curriculum, instruction, guidance, and counseling. It is designed as a short-term intervention to ensure that students succeed upon return to their home schools. As a school within the Center for Partnerships to Improve Education, the faculty will engage in a college-level course during the 2009-2010 school year. The course has been authentically designed to meet the needs of this unique environment and program. Within each session, administrators, teachers, and teaching assistants will reflect, plan, and implement strategies to build learning communities, empower students in their own education, and ensure smooth transitions. CPIE will offer additional supports in each of these areas while on site throughout the school year.
- The Accelerated Program
The Accelerated Program began as an extension of the Charleston County School District's Middle Grade Acceleration Progect (MGAP). The project aimed to provide a small class setting for overage seventh-grade students to complete seventh and eighth grades in one academic school year. This was done in hopes of reducing the high school drop-out rate for this population of at-risk youth. The Accelerated Program was formed as a pilot to create a more programmatic approach to the Middle Grade Acceleration Project's teaching and learning and to solidify acceleration efforts. For this program, a unique partnership was formed between the Charleston County School District and the College of Charleston's Center for Partnerships to Improve Education. Based on these statistics, the partnership between the Charleston County School District and the College of Charleston's Center for Partnerships to Improve Education shifted for the 2008-2009 school year to focus solely on creating more successful transitions for these students. The new partnership, Bridges to Success, serves ninth-grade former MGAP students enrolled in four high schools within the district. Each of the students receives weekly, biweekly, and monthly support. In order to continue to address academics, attendance, and behaviors, each student has a portfolio that serves as the focus of student meetings and interventions. Students are taught to track grades, count credits, and understand high school attendance issues. Students also work in small groups or individually to create plans of action that are revisted and updated at each grading period. Leadership opportunities continue for these students through enrichment events, community speakers, and mentors. Parents are also contacted on an ongoing basis and are educated on high school requirements as well. In addition, each of the four schools has developed additional supports to specifically address this group of students.