The UNC Pembroke School of Education and the Old Main STREAM Academy (OMSA) will be participating in the inaugural North Carolina Educator Pipeline Collaborative cohort, along with six other teacher preparation partnerships, to continue to be as effective and innovative as possible in recruiting and preparing educators to enter the state’s workforce.

The faculty members representing the School of Education are Dean Loury Floyd, Dr. Leslie Locklear, and Dr. Tiffany Locklear. Dr. Christopher Clark, dean of OMSA, is also a member of the local cohort. Tiffany Locklear is an OMSA board member.

OMSA is a K-4 public charter school located in Pembroke, N.C.

“Old Main STREAM is excited to embark on this exciting opportunity,” Clark said. “While we can envision having our students exposed to pre-service teachers who are on the cutting edge of practice, we are also excited that our current teachers will benefit in that they will be offered the best in professional development delivered by collaborative members.

“These efforts will help us identify excellent candidates to hire and help us develop supports to retain and support educators moving forward,” Clark added.

The collaborative was launched by the Public School Forum of North Carolina in partnership with the NC Office of the Governor and The Belk Foundation and includes school districts, universities, and community colleges working to strengthen the educator pipeline.

Together the cohort will share, develop and implement policies and practices that will enhance and extend their efforts to recruit, prepare, support and retain a diverse, highly effective educator workforce.