School-university partnerships help fill funding gaps, prepare future teachers

For Alexander Local Schools in Albany, Ohio, a partnership with Ohio University is helping K-12 students get access to learning opportunities that would have otherwise been affected by budget cutbacks — including reading intervention and after-school programs — while proving prospective teachers with a more robust, real-world learning experience in a school district, according to U.S. News and World Report.Budget cuts have caused the district's elementary, middle and high schools to lose 35 employees in the past 13 years, while curriculum spending has halted and class sizes have grown, U.S. News notes. But the district-university partnership allows students access to better learning opportunities and individualized instruction, helping the district maintain learning standards.The state recommends teacher candidates spend at least 180 hours on classroom instruction to get licensed, but Ohio University's students greatly surpass that by spending upwards of 500 hours in their placement schools. As a result, these potential teachers gain experience working with students in a more intense and realistic setting.