WHEREAS, over the last twenty-five years, there has been a call nationally for specialized
training of teachers for students in the middle grades to deal effectively with the
social, emotional, physical and intellectual growth of young adolescents; and
WHEREAS, in South Carolina, there is a need for teachers to be provided the opportunity
to develop more comprehensive knowledge and performances required for excellence in
teaching the early adolescent learner; and
WHEREAS, representatives from the State Department of Education, the Commission on
Higher Education, the Education Improvement Act Select Committee, the South Carolina
Middle School Association, the South Carolina Middle Grade School State Policy Initiative,
and practitioners from Winthrop University's College of Arts and Sciences and College
of Education have all collaborated to develop a Master of Education program in Middle
Level Education; and
WHEREAS, there is no similar program in the State of South Carolina to address this
need; and
WHEREAS, the proposed M.Ed. in Middle Level Education has been structured to meet
national standards of accreditation and the resources to offer the program are already
in place at Winthrop University;
THEREFORE, LET IT BE RESOLVED that Winthrop University Board of Trustees does hereby
authorize the addition of the Master of Education degree in Middle Level Education
to the curriculum.
February 5, 1999
