TransformSC

Business leaders, policymakers and community leaders from across South Carolina joined TransformSC on Thursday, Oct. 12, 2017, for its second annual Bus Tour. Attendees spent the day touring three of TransformSC’s schools in the Upstate: Monarch Elementary School, Carolina High School and Meeting Street Academy – Spartanburg. During each visit, visitors spent time exploring classrooms, engaging with […]

63 schools now working to transform education in South Carolina TransformSC, an initiative of the South Carolina Council on Competitiveness, has accepted five new schools and one entire district to its statewide network of innovative schools: Brunson Dargan Elementary (Darlington), Batesburg-Leesville Elementary School (Lexington Three), Batesburg-Leesville Primary School (Lexington Three), Carolina High School (Greenville), Wando […]

Join TransformSC for its fifth annual Spring Conference March 1 & 2, 2018! This year’s conference will focus on transforming education through data. Two keynote speakers are already lined up for the two-day program. Dr. John H. Johnson President and CEO of Edgeworth Economics, Dr. Johnson is an author, speaker, expert witness, a regular contributor […]

Chair of the Federal Reserve board Janet Yellen stated in a speech Tuesday that American workers could benefit from more on-the-job training, noting the success Apprenticeship Carolina has had in workforce development. “The program has led to sizable job gains at a modest cost to the state,” Yellen said, according to a transcript of her […]

Leadership Transformational leadership at the school, district, and community level is crucial to ensure that every student graduates prepared for careers, college, and citizenship. On March 13th, 450 attendees gathered in Greenville for the fourth annual TransformSC Spring Conference which focused on that leadership. Attendees included educators from over half of the state’s school districts […]

Scott’s Branch High School, a TransformSC School in Clarendon County, hosted education officials from South Carolina, North Dakota, Washington, D.C., Mississippi, and Arkansas in February. The visit was a part of the American Youth Policy Forum’s “Advancing Equity through Deeper Learning in Rural Schools” tour. Those on the tour had the opportunity to visit classrooms […]

TransformSC’s Peggy Torrey appeared in a recent episode of SC ETV’s Carolina Classrooms focusing on college and career readiness.  The panel was moderated by Lemuel Watson, former dean in the College of Education at the University of South Carolina and current Executive Director at the Center of Innovation in Higher Education. Other panelists included Sheila […]

On March 2nd, Pamela Lackey, State President of AT&T and TransformSC Co-Chair was interviewed by Mike Switzer on South Carolina Business Review. Lackey discussed the history of TransformSC and the progress the initiative has made since it began in 2013. She stressed the importance of leadership in sustaining innovation in education.   She explained that […]

Furman University recently opened the Childers Project-Based Learning Classroom in Hipp Hall named after Marybeth and Alfred Childers, lifelong supporters of Furman’s Teacher Education Program. The innovative space allows Furman faculty to emulate a project-based learning classroom so that those in the class experience the learner-centered, collaborative environment in which they will eventually facilitate. The […]

Burke Royster, Superintendent of TransformSC district Greenville County Schools, has been named one of Education Week’s 2017 Leaders to Learn From. Royster is recognized for his efforts to increase student engagement and graduation rates in his district. One of the signature programs in the district is OnTrack Greenville, an early-warning system that uses attendance, behavior, […]

TransformSC presented twice in January to the SC House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee on Competency-Based Education. The first was an informal meeting on Jan. 12 where TransformSC Co-Chair Mike Brenan gave an update on TransformSC’s recent growth. Brenan also emphasized TransformSC’s grassroots coalition and the approaches its schools use, like competency-based education. TransformSC Director Peggy Torrey […]

Council President and CEO Ann Marie Stieritz participated in a community convening on Nov. 9, 2016, at “The Future of Learning: Preparing Students with 21st Century Skills,” hosted by Alaska: Education Matters, Inc., in Anchorage. Stieritz participated in two panel discussions and was available for attendees throughout the day.  Other panelists included Dr. Deena Paramo, superintendent […]

TransformSC has accepted five schools and two districts to its statewide network of innovative schools. The new TransformSC schools are located across the state: Monarch Elementary School (Greenville) Swansea High School Freshman Academy (Swansea), Bates Middle School (Sumter), Hartsville High School (Hartsville) and R.B. Stall High School (Charleston). Lexington County School District 4 in the […]

Eleven schools have been accepted to TransformSC’s network of innovative schools. The new TransformSC schools are: Sandhills Middle School, Westwood High School, Spring Valley High School, Blythewood High School, Darlington High School, Meadow Glen Middle School, Ridge View High School, Richland Northeast High School, Frances Mack Intermediate School, Sandhills Elementary School and Swansea High School. […]

A team of TransformSC leaders presented at the Annual Conference of the National School Boards Association (NSBA) on April 9 in Boston. The presentation team included Mike Brenan, TransformSC co-chairman and president of BB&T South Carolina, Peggy Torrey, director of TransformSC, and Beth Branham, member of the Lexington School District 2 Board and the NSBA Board. […]

TransformSC partnered with he Nickelodeon Theatre and the University of South Carolina’s College of Education to bring a special screening of the edu-documentary, Most Likely to Succeed, to Columbia on December 8th.  The film examines the history of education in the United States and explores shortcomings of conventional education methods in today’s innovative world, as well as compelling […]

Teams of educators from across South Carolina gathered at TransformSC’s Learning Institute in Columbia yesterday to learn from national experts about one of the newest innovations in public education.  The topic for discussion was competency-based progression – an individualized system where students are awarded credit based on mastery of knowledge rather than the physical time […]