USC Rossier School of Education
The University of Southern California, ranked among the top 1 percent of all colleges and universities, brings academic assets in the fields of communication, multimedia technologies and the life sciences as well as cross-disciplinary teaching and research. It also brings a record of service to the community. The university has received national acclaim for its innovative service learning programs and community involvement. It provides service to the community in the form of health care, economic development, social welfare, scientific research, public policy and the arts. Through its Good Neighbors Campaign, the USC staff and faculty have devoted over $8 million from their own paychecks since 1994 to fund joint university-community projects to improve the quality of life in the surrounding neighborhoods.
The Rossier School of Education has sustained a strong reputation for training highly qualified administrators and superintendents for over three decades. Over 90 superintendents in California are USC School of education alumni. Although the Rossier School of Education is at the hub of the relationship with GCEP, the entire university considers itself a resource for the improvement of urban education, particularly in the neighborhoods in close proximity to the campus.
The University of Southern California comes to this partnership with a large body of experience and research around urban issues and education, but it also comes with a desire for deeper understandings of the root causes for the persistent failure of America’s schools to provide equitable opportunities for students of color and the poor. The Rossier School of Education brings a nationally recognized education program committed to preparing teachers, teacher educators, and administrators for the urban setting. The school of education desires to bring to the partnership well prepared teachers in multiple subject areas, who are committed to urban education. It is also interested in long-term collaborative relationships with K-12 schools to build communities of practice that enable teachers and communities to build the educational experiences all student deserve. The university brings services in support of the physical, mental and emotional health of students and their families. Those efforts include counseling services to students and their families, support for college readiness, and expertise in literacy and language acquisition. The Rossier School of Education’s focus on quality education for students with special needs is another major asset it brings to the partnership.
