Cherokee County is one of five school districts involved in a $7 million federal teacher training grant awarded to Winthrop University last week.

Winthrop will receive more than $1.4 million per year to participate in a federal effort to increase the pool of talented teachers and improve student achievement in rural schools. Winthrop plans to spend about $13 million over the 5-year life of the project, sharing the remainder of the cost with the partner districts.

The U.S. Department of Education will support a partnership Winthrop will undertake with Cherokee, Chester, Fairfield, Lancaster and Union counties, said Jennie Rakestraw, dean of the Riley College of Education at Winthrop University. The school districts chosen for the partnership are located in rural areas with high poverty rates.

Winthrop was one of only 28 institutions nationally selected to participate in the 5- year teacher quality partnership grant program.

“We are thrilled with this opportunity to support quality education in South Carolina, especially as we help tackle the tough challenges Winthrop worked faced by rural schools in our area,” Rakestraw said. “Critical to the success of our grant proposal and the implementation of this comprehensive project is the dedication and talent of our faculty and of our school district partners.” closely with the Olde English Consortium education collaborative to develop the partnerships with area local school districts. The university will work with the school districts in areas such as recruiting and mentoring new teachers, curriculum development, connecting research to teaching practices and developing school leaders.

Students majoring in education will be involved in yearlong internships working in schools. There will be a new focus on training future teachers to work with students who speak limited English and students with disabilities.

College students also will be trained to use the latest education technology. Teachers, school administrators and college students will form teams to identify and develop solutions to critical issues facing rural schools.

“We expect to witness major reforms in teacher preparation and the success of schools as a result of this significant collaborative endeavor,” Rakestraw said.