GA STEM Teacher Preparation
Georgia Residency for Educating Amazing Teachers
A partnership between SREB and Georgia College & State University, GREAT was funded by the Teacher Quality Partnership program of the U.S. Department of Education. The program recruited college graduates in fields other than education, especially those interested in teaching science, technology, engineering or math.
Future teachers gained classroom teaching experience under the guidance of a mentor teacher while completing an online 36-credit Master of Arts in Teaching at GCSU — all while earning a first-year teacher’s salary and full health care benefits.
The grant was completed in 2024. The resident teachers were placed in middle grades classrooms in grades six through eight in rural Georgia.
“I was struck by what a great group the GREAT program students are… the quality of work they are turning in is top notch! If their teaching ability matches their academic performance, then their future students will be in good hands.” — GCSU Instructor
Sparking a Passion for Science in Barrow County
Learn how two GREAT teachers are
creating the next generation of science explorers in
this story from Georgia’s Barrow County School System. With
degrees in environmental economics from the University of
Georgia, Rachel Pless looks forward to using her school’s garden
to make learning connections for her students. A former breast
cancer researcher at the National Institute for Environmental
Sciences, Cheryl Cistulli was inspired by her sixth-grade science
teacher to pursue a Ph.D. in molecular and cellular pathology and
now hopes to foster the same excitement in her students.
Georgia Teaching Residents Give Middle Grades STEM a Boost
By Jon Schmidt-Davis
Curtis Martin’s motivation for teaching can be seen in a quotation by author Victor Hugo that he’s added to his email signature line, “He who opens a school door, closes a prison.”
You see, before Curtis became a Georgia math teacher, he was a correctional officer for the state of Georgia and the Houston County Sheriff’s Department. Having seen too many children end up behind bars, Martin decided to work with middle grades students to give them opportunities that can improve their chances for success in life.
