U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker hadn”t dropped in on his namesake center at Mississippi University for Women in a couple of years, so he swung through Thursday to catch up.
The Roger F. Wicker Center for Creative Learning, or CCL, on the MUW campus recently received a $550,000 21st Century learning grant through the U.S. Department of Education with the Tupelo Republican”s help. Employees briefed Wicker on how that money would be spent as well as pitched a request for an additional $5.8 million in funding to renovate a downtown building to house the CCL.
The proposed building would house current CCL programs and a wealth of planned initiatives including workforce training, after-school programs, community-based organizations, community events, educational assessment and intervention services, technology skills lab and a community resource center.
Many of those programs are already run out of the CCL”s current home on the fourth floor of the Education and Human Services building. But CCL Director Kate Brown says that space is maxed out. She told Wicker of plans to turn two bathrooms on the floor into office space.
Fortunately, the 21st Century grant services won”t add to the crowding. The grant will fund the creation of a curriculum for seventh through 12th grade students to integrate work skills like problem solving, media literacy and technology into existing curricula.
The grant will also fund teacher training to show educators how to implement the skills and parent training to help student skill building continue at home.
Ivey Iverson, youth development specialist for the CCL, acknowledged many public schools already integrate the 21st Century skills, but the grant will fund the creation of a structured, long-term model. Upon completion, the model will be available free of charge online.
Wicker, who met with students at the Mississippi School for Math and Science on the MUW campus earlier in the day, agreed work skills were an essential element to return American students to prominence.
“American students lag behind. We”re behind Estonia when it comes to math and science. We”re behind the Czech Republic. We don”t like to hear those stats. We should lead the world,” said Wicker.
Brown explained to Wicker how the 21st Century grant would be applied in addition to the various professional and student development programs the CCL already has in place.
“We get calls on a regular basis for speakers at teacher and parent meetings,” said Brown, making a case for the CCL.
“In that sense you”re a clearing house for information,” Wicker replied.
MUW interim president Allegra Brigham, who sat in on the meeting, also voiced her support for the instruction provided through the 21st Century program.
“As a business person, I was thrilled to hear that. Critical thinking skills are rare,” she said.
Wicker agreed the work being performed at the CCL was essential to keeping education on the incline in Mississippi.
“We need to be ahead of the power curve in staying up to date,” he said. “I”m here to engage in oversight. We”ve made an investment at the federal level and I”m here to learn what they have to share.”
Jason Browne was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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