Professional Development School Network

Professional Development School Network
Baltimore City Public Schools

MARIE GARNETT FARRING ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Address:
300 Pontiac Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21255
Phone: (410) 396-1404;

Email:

School Principal:
Thom Stroschein

School Contact:
Chris Gress

Towson Contact:
Barbara Maestas
bmaestas@towson.edu

DESCRIPTION OF THE SCHOOL

Maree Garnett Farring Elementary School, one of the southern-most schools in the school district, is located in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Baltimore City. Named for an individual who was a School Commissioner of the City of Baltimore, the school has been an integral part of the Brooklyn community for over 120 years.

The school serves students from pre-K through 6th. There are 25 teachers at the school, including three resource teachers and three special educators.

MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of the Baltimore City Public School System, in concert with students, families, and the broader community, is to prepare all students to be responsible citizens and afford them the opportunity to acquire the skills, knowledge, and abilities necessary to make informed decisions that lead to meaningful and productive lives.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE COLLABORATION

• One of two schools in a multi-site professional development school for teacher candidates seeking certification in elementary or early childhood education in the Master of Arts in Teaching program.
• Maree Garnett Farring Elementary has joined with Park Elementary, in Anne Arundel County, to create a PDS whose goal is to share promising practices across school districts and to increase the level of effective teaching at both schools.
• This partnership allows the interns to complete an intensive internship in each school where the extensive internship will take place, prior to the final semester.
• Interns begin their immersion in the school community in their first semester in the program by completing course work at the school sites and by participating in the summer programs at the schools.
• Interns begin their preservice professional development in August when the teachers return to school, learning about the students, the curricula, and the community.
• Following the initial intensive three-week block, interns spend three days per week in the classrooms full time and complete teacher preparation course work at the school sites on the remaining two days.
• Interns spend the final two weeks of the first internship in the classroom full time, working with each mentor to develop plans for the extended final semester.
• In the extended final semester, the professional development needs of the interns are cultivated throughout the two 9-week rotations, one at each of the school sites. The experience and rapport that the intern acquired during the previous semester allows for the assumption of extensive responsibility for planning and instruction.
• On-site graduate courses are offered to the in-service teachers.
• School-based teachers serve on review teams for intern professional development portfolios.
• Each intern designs and implements an action research project with support from mentors, school-based and university faculty.
• Interns at each school implement a service project for the school.

Back to County Page