School of Education at Southern Miss

We had a wonderful time welcoming back our faculty and staff at USM's annual convocation! 🎉

As CEHS Interim Dean Dr. Jeff Hinton reminded us, "Every interaction matters." Our School of Education faculty put those inspiring words directly into practice during the social event held at the Touchdown Club. They spent the day catching up, collaborating, and building new meaningful connections with both our returning and incoming faculty as we kick off the academic year!

We are so excited to carry on this spirit of connection into our classrooms, offices, and community partnerships. Here's to a fantastic year ahead! 🦅🌟

80 Golden Eagle student teachers are headed to 66 schools in 39 districts this semester! 🍎🦅📚✨

📣 ALUMNI ROLL CALL:
Teacher education alumni, where are you now?! 👀 What advice/encouragement can you share?

Don't miss your chance to get a shirt!

Shop here by August 28: https://stores.inksoft.com/eagles_teach_lead_serve_discover/shop/home

The shop is BACK... in black! 🦅👕🖤

Get Eagles Teach + Lead + Serve + Discover apparel by Aug. 28: https://stores.inksoft.com/eagles_teach_lead_serve_discover/shop/home

Check out these 43 amazing teacher residents who are kicking off the new school year in 14 partner school districts!

To learn more about our residency programs offered through the Mississippi Center for Apprenticeships & Residency in Education, visit usm.edu/mcare.

Recently, we headed to the Rankin County School District to celebrate and support local educators during their district-wide Back-to-School Teacher Conference!

Drs. Kari Smith-Murphy and Angela Lowery, proudly represented the School of Education as they welcomed faculty and staff back for the new school year. We were excited to share some of the wonderful programs that SoE has to offer, ranging from the Teacher Assistant Program (TAP) for Elementary Education to Educational Administration and our other advanced Master's and doctoral degrees.

We are so grateful to Rankin County for inviting us to their conference. Supporting our community partners and helping fellow educators find their path to success is what we love to do!

To check out all of SoE's programs, please visit: https://www.usm.edu/education/index.php

SoE faculty and staff had a great time visiting the Long Beach School District last week for their back-to-school professional development day! 🌟

Andrea Krell, Executive Director of MCARE, and Abbie Johnson, Student Support Specialist, delivered a training session specifically tailored for teacher assistants. In addition to the professional development, they shared exciting opportunities for these educators to take their skills to the next level and become certified teachers through USM School of Education programs.

Not pictured: Cymon Davis (Student Services Coordinator) and Hailee Hawkins (Teacher Residency Program Coordinator)

We truly value the opportunity to support our local school districts and help future Golden Eagles find their path into the classroom! 🦅🍎

Huge congrats to Elementary Education alumna Alexis Papp ('25) on her recent publication! 👏🎉

Alongside Dr. Stacy Reeves, Alexis co-published an article in the International Journal for Professional Educators titled "The Problem of Retention: Keeping Teachers in Mississippi Classrooms." This impressive achievement is based on the research Alexis conducted for her Honors College thesis.

We are so productive to see our graduates already making such a significant impact on the future of education in Mississippi! 🦅🌟

USM faculty recently joined the Gulfport School District for their "Essential Pieces" Conference, a day of professional learning held on July 20th to kick off the new school year! 🍎🦅

Under the theme "Game On! Level Up to Proficiency," Andrea Krell and Abbie Johnson presented "The Support Sweet Spot: Helping Students Without Hovering." Both educators led the session, providing practical strategies for professional learning and student autonomy.

Another highlight of the day was meeting the "undercover" guest speaker and talk show host, Dr. Adolph Brown, whose unique perspective on leadership brought a fresh energy to the conference. More info can be found at https://www.docspeaks.com/.

Thank you to the Gulfport School District for inviting the School of Education to participate and giving us an opportunity to catch up with current students and alumni of USM! 💛