News Releases

April 14, 2022
South Carolina to Host First Statewide Family Code Night: The event will include fun, at-home learning for all families with K-5 children, with video welcome from Governor Henry McMaster and State Superintendent Molly Spearman.

March 24, 2022
Four Districts Selected to Pilot Statewide Teacher-Driven Research Initiative: The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) has contracted with a leading educational research and analytics firm to launch a first-of-its-kind statewide “Teacher as Researcher” initiative. The $2 million investment is made possible through the state’s Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief Fund.

March 22, 2022
SCDE Expands Two Existing Partnerships and Adds Another to Tackle Teacher Shortage: The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) has expanded two successful home-grown programs, Call Me MISTER and Teaching Fellows, and stood up a new initiative, TeachSC, in response to the growing teacher shortage in the state.

March 11, 2022
Superintendent Spearman Announces Chestnut Oaks Middle School's Thomas Slater as Teacher of the Year Finalist: State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman surprised Chestnut Oaks Middle School's Thomas Slater today with news that he has been selected as one of five finalists for the South Carolina Teacher of the Year award.

March 10, 2022
Superintendent Spearman Announces Woodruff Middle School's Jami Guker as Teacher of the Year Finalist: State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman surprised Woodruff Middle School's Jami Guker today with news that she has been selected as one of five finalists for the South Carolina Teacher of the Year award.

March 10, 2022
Superintendent Spearman Announces Springfield Middle School's Laura Merk as Teacher of the Year Finalist: State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman surprised Springfield Middle School's Laura Merk today with news that she has been selected as one of five finalists for the South Carolina Teacher of the Year award.

March 9, 2022
Superintendent Spearman Announces Liberty High School's Zachary Arms as Teacher of the Year Finalist: State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman surprised Liberty High School's Zachary Arms today with news that he has been selected as one of five finalists for the South Carolina Teacher of the Year award.

March 9, 2022
Superintendent Spearman Announces Legacy Early College's Deion Jamison as Teacher of the Year Finalist: State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman surprised Legacy Early College's Deion Jamison today with news that he has been selected as one of five finalists for the South Carolina Teacher of the Year award.

February 22, 2022
S.C. Department of Education Invites the Public to Review Proposed Physical Education AP Macroeconomics Instructional Materials and Textbooks: The materials in the area of Physical Education 9–12 and Advanced Placement Macroeconomics will be available online from February 22 to March 22, 2022. The SCDE will post the links to access the instructional materials on its website (Virtual Public Review) beginning February 22, 2022. In addition, the link to submit public comments will be available on this site.

February 24, 2022
Flexibility Guide Offers School Districts a Comprehensive Tool to Tackle Complex Educational Challenges: The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) released an all-encompassing resource that provides schools, districts, and communities with policy guidance and direction for meeting the unique needs of students.

February 14, 2022
Innovative Partnership Helps Educators Recognize and Address the Impacts of Pandemic Trauma: The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) and Children’s Trust of South Carolina today announced a partnership to help schools recognize and address the impacts of the pandemic on the mental health of children. Utilizing a train the trainer model, every school district is now eligible to send representatives to a nationally established training on adverse childhood experiences, also known as ACEs.

February 9, 2022
South Carolina Department of Education and South Carolina Technical College System Announce $11.5 Million Partnership: The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) and South Carolina Technical College System (SCTCS) today announced a three year $11.5 million partnership that will grow and expand career and technical education programs, adult education programs, and provide scholarships to high demand technical college programs in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

February 1, 2022
Dominion Energy and S.C. Department of Education Invite High School Students to Enter Second Annual Writing Contest to Celebrate Notable African Americans: Dominion Energy and the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) encourage high school juniors and seniors to enter the second annual Strong Men & Women in S.C. History student essay contest. The program builds on SCDE’s longstanding South Carolina African American History Calendar that honors prominent African Americans in the state who have made noteworthy contributions.

January 27, 2022
S.C. Department of Education Launches Federal Funding Transparency Dashboard: The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) has developed a public Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding dashboard to provide transparency on how South Carolina school districts are utilizing federal education COVID-19 relief funds.

January 12, 2022
SCDE Launches Partnership to Sustain Suicide Prevention Hotline: The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) has partnered with Mental Health America of Greenville County (MHAGC) to sustain the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline as both organizations work to combat the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on child wellbeing.

January 5, 2022
South Carolina Department of Education Seeking Partners for Summer Food Service Program: The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) is offering local government agencies, school districts, faith-based and private nonprofit organizations an opportunity to provide summer meals to children by becoming a sponsor or a summer meal site for its United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Summer Food Service Program known as the Summer Break Café. This program is funded by the USDA and administered by the South Carolina Department of Education’s Office of Health and Nutrition to serve healthy meals to children during the summer months when school is not in session.

December 16, 2021
Georgetown County School District's Alan Walters Assumes Chairmanship of the State Board of Education: At the December 14, 2021 meeting of the State Board of Education, Georgetown County School District’s Alan Walters was sworn in as the chair of the State Board of Education (SBE). The SBE also unanimously elected Crystal “Crissie” Stapleton, superintendent of Barnwell School District 45, as chair-elect while recognizing four members who have fulfilled their terms on the board.

December 1, 2021
South Carolina Students Selected for United States Senate Youth Program: State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman announced two South Carolina high school students have been selected as delegates to the 60th Annual United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP) that will be held March 5-10, 2022. Each delegate will receive a $10,000 undergraduate college scholarship.

November 30, 2021
State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman Statement on 2021 Educator Supply and Demand Report: State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman released the following statement in response to the release of the 2021 Educator Supply and Demand Report by the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement (CERRA). Additional information concerning Superintendent Spearman and the South Carolina Department of Education’s (SCDE) actions to address the state’s teacher shortage crisis are also noted.

November 22, 2021
S.C. Department of Education and S.C. State Library Announce Partnership to Provide Virtual Tutoring Support to South Carolina Students: The South Carolina Department of Education and the South Carolina State Library (SCSL) announced a $1.5 million partnership to address the continuing academic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The partnership will span the next three years and is funded through the American Rescue Plan's Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER).