CCSD’s Acceleration Schools receive $50,000 grant to help boost teacher morale and retention
March 28, 2022
Charleston, S.C. – Charleston County School District’s (CCSD) Acceleration Schools initiative has been selected to receive a $50,000 grant from the Novo Foundation’s Equitable Design for Teacher Morale and Retention program. The grant will allow District officials to devote time and resources toward designing solutions that help address issues of teacher burnout, low morale, and retention.
“We are extremely grateful and excited for the incredible opportunity that this grant presents for better connecting, collaborating, and supporting the hardworking teachers and staff,” said Jacqueline Haynes, Associate Superintendent of Acceleration Schools. “We are hopeful that by taking a teacher-led approach to the challenges faced by our faculty, we can attract, retain, and grow the talented staff our students and family deserve to have in every classroom.”
Novo Morale and Retention grantees will receive support on efforts and planning, along with technical assistance from Education First in equitable design methodologies to help study gaps and inequities, engage diverse voices in problem-solving, and co-design solutions to improve teacher morale in the 2022–23 school year. The grant program is also being supported by the Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, and will give CCSD the opportunity to work alongside a cohort of 12 other school districts from around the country as they embark on similar efforts to collaborate and build new ideas with their teachers.
“Quality teachers are the lifeblood of our district here in Charleston County, and we are committed to ensuring we are listening and acting in ways that ensure high-skilled and high-will professionals are investing in our children each and every day,” said Interim Superintendent Don Kennedy. “This grant opportunity offers us an important step toward addressing the long-term challenges that have been created by the pandemic, and will help us share best practices with teacher leaders around the country.”
For more information, contact the Division of Strategy and Communication at (843) 937-6603.
About the Charleston County School District
Charleston County School District (CCSD) is a nationally accredited school district committed to providing equitable and quality educational opportunities for all of its students. CCSD is the second-largest school system in South Carolina and represents a unique blend of urban, suburban, and rural schools spanning 1,300 square miles along the coast. CCSD serves approximately 49,000 students in 88 schools and specialized programs.
CCSD offers a diverse, expanding portfolio of options and specialized programs, delivered through neighborhood, magnet, IB (international baccalaureate), Montessori, and charter schools. Options include programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), music and other creative and performing arts, career and technical preparation programs, and military.
