The REM Center has partnered with South Carolina’s arts education community since 2000 in the areas of research, evaluation, and measurement. Currently, we serve as the program evaluation and research partner for Arts Grow SC, an initiative of the SC Arts Commission that aims to provide equitable access to learning in and through the arts to students across South Carolina. We also partner with Winthrop University on the Community Assistance for Rural Education (CARE) Project, a US Department of Education Assistance for Arts Education (AAE) grant that is working to build capacity in Hampton and Allendale County Schools to provide arts-related learning experiences. In addition to serving as external evaluator on the CARE Project, our team is conducting an in-depth case study on these efforts in order to produce a nationally disseminated guidebook on strategies to increase access to arts education in rural communities. Our team is also collaborating with two arts education non-profit organizations to conduct evaluations on the impact of their work. We are working with both Engaging Creative Minds, which provides afterschool and summer programs to rural SC communities and ArtsNOW, which partners with schools to build their capacity to provide arts enriched and arts integrated learning experiences to study their impact on schools, teachers, and students.

With funding from the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) and the South Carolina Arts Commission (SCAC) and the support of the arts education community, the REM Center developed and continues to operate the South Carolina Arts Assessment Program (SCAAP). SCAAP provides standards-aligned, high-quality classroom assessment resources for arts educators in South Carolina. SCAAP forms collaborative groups of South Carolina arts educators to develop classroom assessments and rubrics which are pilot-tested in classrooms across the state. Materials and rubric-scored student samples are shared on the SCAAP website to build the capacity of arts teachers to engage in high-quality performance assessment practices to inform classroom instruction.

The REM Center conducts a variety of work aimed to improve the development and education of young children. We are leading a state-wide needs assessment for South Carolina’s Preschool Development Grant funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in collaboration with the South Carolina Department of Social Services, South Carolina First Steps, and other South Carolina colleges and universities, to better understand the needs and priorities of young children and their families. This work includes surveys, focus groups, and work group meetings designed to develop goals and actional steps to improve conditions and services for South Carolina children and families. Our team also provides evaluation and research services for quality rating and improvement system initiatives designed to measure and communicate the quality of childcare centers. Our current work in this area is a research partnership with the statewide ABC Quality program through the South Carolina Department of Social Services.

The REM Center has increasingly established evaluation partnerships with projects that include a focus on engaging families in PK-12 schools. Currently, the REM Center team is evaluating a $5 million, 5-year, U.S. Department of Education State Family Engagement Centers grant. The Carolina Family Engagement Center was awarded to a team in the College of Education at the University of South Carolina and is coordinated by the South Carolina School Improvement Council. The Carolina Family Engagement Center is developing a state-wide collaborative network of family engagement organizations to increase communication and coordination, increase dissemination of information and resources to families and educators, and strengthen the infrastructure and capacity of South Carolina to serve all families through evidence-based family engagement practices. The REM Center serves as the project’s external evaluator on this project and is collecting a wide range of data including implementation rubrics, meeting notes, surveys, focus groups, and interviews.

The REM Center works with school districts on grant projects designed to transform historically low performing schools into thriving schools where students are prepared for college and careers. This is accomplished by implementing innovative programs and practices that have been shown to improve student outcomes. We currently serve as external evaluators on two Magnet School Assistance Program (MSAP) grants from the U.S. Department of Education awarded to School District 5 of Lexington and Richland Counties and Georgetown County School District. These programs seek to increase student equity and diversity, academic achievement, and connections through various magnet themes and learning strategies. 

The REM Center analyzes the SC school climate data obtained through state climate surveys administered annually to students, teachers, and parents across the state. Based on survey results, the REM Center creates four-year school climate profiles for selected schools across the state (e.g., low-performing schools, magnet schools) and shares the data with the stakeholders. Additionally, we investigate various aspects of school climate, including its relationship with various education outcomes, its consistency among respondent groups and organizational levels, as well as methodological aspects related to survey structure. Findings related to school climate are presented to various audiences, including conferences, school and district personnel, South Carolina Department of Education, School Improvement Councils, and policymakers.

The REM Center has worked closely with University of South Carolina science education faculty to evaluate a wide variety of professional development and higher education programs for math and science teachers. Currently, we evaluate two programs awarded to USC funded through the National Science Foundation’s Robert Noyce Scholars program. These programs seek to increase the number of highly qualified science and mathematics teachers and teacher-leaders working in high-need, rural districts in South Carolina. The REM Center also has partnered with USC faculty to serve as evaluator on multiple science teacher professional development programs funded through the US Department of Education’s Math Science Partnership program.

In addition to formal, school-day education programs, the REM Center currently serves as the external evaluator on several programs that are focused on the development of young people in various areas of college and career readiness and awareness. For instance, the Teen Science Ambassador Program, an NIH-funded Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) initiative that aims to increase the number of underrepresented minority students in STEM fields by providing exposure to research careers through weekly meetings, mentorship, and an internship experience.The REM Center team examines the outcomes of this program for the teen participants while also providing TSAP staff feedback on the quality of the program’s sessions and mentoring. 

Another project in this area is the evaluation of the Young Men United (YMU) program administered by the United Way of the Midlands. YMU is designed to support college capable but not yet college ready Black male high school students starting in the 10th and 11th grades. YMU guides students through their graduation from high school and into higher education and careers. Program components include mentorship, major and career exploration, internships and professional development, and family support. The REM Center is conducting a mixed-methods evaluation guided by both process and outcome evaluation questions designed to meet the needs of the YMU project team.

The REM Center partners closely with several entities inside The University of South Carolina’s College of Education (CoE) to provide research and evaluation services for projects related to the recruitment and retention of the teaching workforce. Our team has served as the evaluator of the Carolina Teacher Induction Program (CarolinaTIP) from the program’s inception and has worked closely with the program as it has moved from exploratory to pilot to implementation phases of program development. This program aims to support teachers during their first three years in the classroom to improve teacher retention through teacher community, comprehensive coaching, and professional learning sessions. REM Center serves as the evaluator for mCrED, the CoE’s micro credentialing initiative. Through our evaluation of mCrED, we examine outcomes for educators pursuing microcredentials through the platform while also investigating the incentives and motivations of mCrED partners such as school districts and professional organizations.

The REM Center also provides evaluation services for teacher recruitment programs. The REM Center is also serving as the evaluator for the Carolina Transition to Teaching Program, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, that seeks to recruit, prepare, and retain teachers in rural South Carolina school districts through an 18-month master’s degree program. This evaluation seeks to understand the root causes of recruitment challenges and retention issues to inform the design of recruitment strategies, graduate coursework, and support systems that facilitate effective teaching and teacher retention in the partnering school districts.