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Together BETTER
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Starkville-MSU Partnership Provides New Opportunities to Current Students, Future Teachers Carl Smith
A
new Starkville Oktibbeha
community where two school districts
faculty use the school as a place to
Consolidated
operated separately until a state-or-
practice research in the classroom and
dered merger occurred six years ago.
offer professional development to its
School
District (SOCSD) mid-
dle school located on the Mississippi State University (MSU) campus is posi-
As its name suggests, collaboration
faculty, while the college’s undergrads and graduate students observe class-
tioned — literally and figuratively —
is what sets this school apart from
to provide one-of-a-kind educational
others: It was specifically planned and
about what it really means to be a
opportunities to its students and pre-
constructed not only to bring children
teacher — a picture not fully colored
pare the next generation of teachers
together in specialized classrooms, but
by textbooks or lectures.
with hands-on training in a real-world
also to have students and teachers
environment unlike anywhere else in
plugged directly into the university
Although the outbreak of COVID-
the state.
setting where they benefit from imme-
19 slowed the complete integration
diate access to faculty and research
of college observers throughout the
Opened for the 2020-2021 academic year, Partnership Middle School (PMS)
from a wide variety of disciplines.
room life and learn the finer details
building, Dr. Nathan Oakley, the Mississippi Department of Education’s
serves all Oktibbeha County sixth
The campus also serves as an
(MDE's) chief academic officer, said the
and seventh graders — an important
intersection where theory and prac-
school will pay great dividends once it
point of pride for administrators in a
tice meet: MSU College of Education
gets up to speed.
School Focus
14
Winter 2021
