The School Partner program focuses on family engagement as a key strategy to support continued recovery from the impacts of the pandemic in areas such as reading, math, behavioral health, mental health, and attendance. Participating schools and their districts receive high quality training and technical assistance in family engagement from CFEC over a two-year period with the opportunity to renew their participation for an additional two years. CFEC is a federally funded Statewide Family Engagement Center under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), so we can provide these services at no charge.
The CFEC School Partner Program incorporates three pillars: (1) the Schoolwide Stakeholder Partner program, (2) the Teacher Partner program, and (3) the Parent Leadership Partner program. These three program “pillars” support family engagement capacity-building for both educators and parents. Specific strategies within each pillar will be selected in collaboration with individual schools to ensure that they align with priority academic and school climate goals and coordinate with the school’s Title I or other applicable family engagement initiatives. All work is grounded in the SC Family Engagement K-12 Framework (SCDE 2019) and is culturally responsive, evidence-based, and informed by research and practice.
The focus of the Schoolwide Stakeholder Partner Program is on school-level capacity-building to support the development of effective family-school-community partnerships that support student achievement and school improvement.
The CFEC Teacher Partner Program aims to enhance the capacities of teachers to design, plan, implement, and evaluate family engagement initiatives for their classrooms, using evidence-based and practice-supported strategies to strengthen parent-teacher partnerships to improve student learning and development.
CFEC’s Parent Leadership Partner (PLP) Program is a uniquely designed engagement-focused curriculum that aims to strengthen parents' capacities to advocate for their child and their school, connect with local resources, and build a supportive network with other parents.
| School | District |
|---|---|
| Blacksburg Elementary School | Cherokee County School District |
| Cayce Elementary School | Lexington School District Two |
| Congaree Elementary School | Lexington School District Two |
| Gaffney High School | Cherokee County School District |
| Hartsville Middle School | Darlington County School District |
| Liberty Elementary School | School District of Pickens County |
| Minnie Hughes Elementary School | Charleston County School District |
| Newberry Elementary School | School District of Newberry County |
| Northside Middle School | Lexington School District Two |
| Pendleton Elementary School | Anderson School District 4 |
| R.H. Gettys Middle School | School District of Pickens County |
| Joseph S. Shanklin Elementary School | Beaufort County School District |
| Sheridan Elementary School | Orangeburg County School District |
| Wellford Academy of Science and Technology | Spartanburg District Five |
| Westminster Elementary School | School District of Oconee County |
| Whales Branch Elementary and James J. Davis Early Learning Center | Beaufort County School District |
A limited number of openings may be available for the 2025-2026 School Year. Contact Director, Karen Utter, utter@email.sc.edu, for more information.