MTSU Centennial Celebration
College of Education Timeline 1911-2010

The Training School of Middle Tennessee State Teachers College in Murfreesboro was authorized as a laboratory school by Tennessee’s General Assembly. The school was located on the college campus in the basement of Old Main. Since that time it has served as an instructional laboratory for the college’s teacher education program and Rutherford County students.

The state approved the construction of buildings for the laboratory schools on the campus of state colleges in east, middle and west Tennessee in the late 1920’s. The new building for the Training School was described as having splendid facilities with a library, gym and stage. The teaching and learning process provided to the college and elementary students was described as exemplary.

The first teacher to move into the building was Miss Mary Hall. The faculty created an attractive and comfortable home environment in the classrooms, including window curtains and flowers. Schools in this era were stark and uninviting, so visitors were impressed with the inviting climate and décor.

Miss Mary was a professor in the Department of Education from the early 1930’s until the early 1960’s. Through the years she took her college students to the Training School to observe and work with the children. Miss Mary stated that the demonstration school presented the “ultimate in education”.

After her retirement in the 1960’s, Miss Mary worked with Dr. Mary Tom Berry and other educators to pilot Tennessee’s first kindergarten program in the basement of the laboratory school. This program led to the development of the college’s Early Childhood Program for teacher training.

Source:
King, Dr. Rita Schaerer (1993).
Mary Hall: A 20th-century Pioneer for Educational Progress in Tennessee. Peabody College for Teachers of Vanderbilt University. (dissertation)

[Entry provided by Dr. Rita Schaerer King, former Principal of Homer Pittard Campus School.]

Dr. Sam Ingram served as Dean of the School of Education in the late 1960's. Under Dr. Ingram’s leadership the School of Education led the way in Middle Tennessee State University’s transition from a teachers college to a full-fledged university culture. At a time of major enrollment growth, the School of Education became home to a number of departments that played significant roles in the training of future educators. The growth in student enrollment spurred the need for an increase in the number of faculty within the School. Also, during this period of growth and transition new graduate programs were developed, as well as additional program offerings leading to state licensure.

Dr. Ralph White was Chair of the Department of Youth, Education and School Personnel Services from 1967-1996. He was recently interviewed concerning his tenure as department chair. Dr. White wrote that the primary challenge he faced when he became department chair was “to remove the provisional accreditation status” that had been granted by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) during the 1950’s. He considers “obtaining and monitoring NCATE accreditation from 1967-1996” his greatest accomplishment. When asked what his fondest memory was as department chair, Dr. White responded, “The camaraderie of faculty in developing the largest and best teacher education program in the state.”

Project HELP began in October of 1983. Funded by the Tennessee State Department of Mental Health/Mental Retardation, this early intervention program served children ages birth to three years old and their families.

Children were eligible for services if they were assessed to have a 25% delay in two areas or 40% delay in one area of development. Based on educational assessments, an Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP) was written for each child. Those children who were ready for group activities were served in a classroom setting four half-days per week. Activities were planned for each child to carry out the goals and objectives of the IFSP, and children had the opportunity to interact with others in group and cooperative play. Parents were encouraged to participate in order to expand their knowledge of ways to care for and teach their children.

Because Project HELP was located on the campus of Middle Tennessee State University, a training component was included in the program. Students from eleven different majors spent time working in the center under the supervision of the full-time staff. In this way, the children received extra help and the students received practical teaching experiences.

The program grew and expanded through the years. Additional funding was obtained from the United Way of Rutherford County which allowed more children to be served. Because of the need to expand and very limited space, a building campaign was begun in 1986. In 1997, a new facility opened on Baird Lane.

Project HELP continues to serve children and their families. Many changes have occurred since the building opened thirteen years ago. Peer models are now part of the program and an additional off-site classroom has opened. Children, parents, and students continue to be served according to the original mission of this early intervention program.

The Katherine Davis Murfree Chair of Excellence in Dyslexic Studies was founded in 1988. Katherine Davis Murfree, a Murfreesboro resident, noticed that children with dyslexia were not adequately served in the Tennessee schools. She believed something could be done to change the status quo and collaborated with Middle Tennessee State University’s College of Education and Behavioral Sciences to fund the endowment for a Chair of Excellence in Dyslexic Studies. The Murfree Chairs of Excellence have dedicated their time to informing the public about dyslexia, enhancing the skills of educators to identify and assist students with dyslexia, and contributing to the research base regarding causes and effective educational interventions.

Dr. Diane J. Sawyer was invited to fill the position and officially joined the faculty in January 1990. Due to Dr. Sawyer’s tireless efforts with the Tennessee Senate Committee on Education and the General Assembly, funds were allocated to establish a Center for the Study and Treatment of Dyslexia in 1993. TBR followed with establishing this center as a permanent education service unit.

The center is the service arm of the Murfree Chair of Excellence. Center staff provides diagnostic services for children, staff development for pre-K-12 educators, and consultation services for educators and parents as schools increasingly take on responsibility to identify and adjust educational programming for students with dyslexia. The center also provides training for all MTSU school psychology students as well as opportunities for research by faculty and graduate students in various campus programs. To date, more than 600 children have received diagnostic assessments in the center, and more than 6,000 educators have attended professional development workshops offered at locations across the state.

In 1999, MTSU partnered with the Christy-Houston Foundation to fund construction of a $1.5 million dedicated facility to support the center’s services which opened in December 2001. The collaborative efforts that have followed from sponsorship of the Katherine Davis Murfree Chair of Excellence in Dyslexic Studies have resulted in a statewide, systematic approach to this high-incidence learning disability that is unparalleled. The influence of this Chair of Excellence is substantial and highly regarded throughout the pre-K-12 education system in Tennessee.

In the early 1990's, under the leadership of President Jim Walker, Middle Tennessee State University joined a number of other state universities across the country in an effort to improve the education and training of teachers. As an early member of the Renaissance Group, the university not only improved its own teacher training programs, but provided leadership at the national level, as well. One key commitment required of all Renaissance Group members is the declaration by each member president that improving and supporting teacher training will be a top priority on their campus. Membership in the Renaissance Group not only added national visibility to the College of Education at Middle Tennessee State University, but resulted in a number of significant improvements in the university's teacher education programs.

Under the direction and leadership of university president Jim Walker, the Tennessee Teachers Hall of Fame was created in early 1994. This statewide recognition of outstanding educators was a collaborative effort of the Middle Tennessee State University, the Tennessee State Department of Education, the Tennessee Education Association, the Tennessee School Boards Association, the Tennessee Parent Teachers Association, and virtually every major educational organization within the state. Exemplary educators have been recognized at the annual recognition and induction banquet held at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville. Although the accomplishments of individual educators were the highlight of each induction ceremony, the ultimate focus was on the contributions of all educators who make significant contributions in the lives of young people each day.

The Instructional Technology Support Center (ITSC) was established January 1, 1995 following an eight-month period of construction on the ground floor of the McWherter Learning Resources Center. The center provides computer and media facilities and support for MTSU students, faculty, and staff through three interconnected departments: ITSC, Audio/Visual Services and Instructional Media Resources (IMR). Together these departments manage the University Lab @ LRC, the University’s media library and the Education Resource Channel @ Middle Tennessee. The center provides audio/visual equipment checkout and video production services for faculty and staff. The center participates in over a million dollars worth of grants and contracts with public and private partners each year.

The ITSC, in collaboration with the School of Agriculture, received a $300,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to install a satellite uplink at MTSU and satellite downlinks at 6 rural K-12 schools. The new distance learning network was to be used for delivery of student enrichment and professional development programming. Over the next dozen years, the distance learning network grew to include over 30 satellite sites, 4 cable television sites, and a national webcasting network. During the past two years, over 6000 teachers and students from 118 Tennessee K-12 school districts have participated in one of the center’s distance learning programs.

The ITSC’s Satellite and Webcasting Center broadcast for the first time Family Centered Community Building, an MTSU course featuring former Vice President Al Gore and nationally known experts in community building. The course was broadcast multiple times to colleges and universities across the country between 2001 and 2005.

In 2005, the ITSC began a partnership with the Tennessee Center for Child Welfare (TCCW) to provide video production and distance learning services to the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services (DCS). This partnership has produced Telly-award winning training videos and hundreds of hours of satellite and webcasting training for social workers, foster parents and private providers across the state. In 2010, the ITSC launched the TCCW video archive, a free and open site providing live and on-demand video for child welfare professionals, resource parents and community stakeholders.

The ITSC began a partnership with the Tennessee Department of Education in 2009 to produce professional development broadcasts, webcasts, model-teaching sessions, workshops and camps for K-12 teachers across the state. To date, the TNDOE grants and contracts have totaled 1.5 million dollars and have served over 1000 Tennessee teachers.