Union County Schools, and its stakeholders, commit to students first in building community, excellence, and lifelong learning. Our district is focused on helping all students develop the world-class skills outlined in the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate. Our goal is to provide students with innovative, standards-based instruction that is personalized and differentiated to meet the individual needs of all learners. Using state of the art technology, our students are given the opportunity to engage in inquiry-based, STEM integrated, and choice learning. We use blended learning platforms within our schools to personalize instruction and promote project-based learning for our students. I am extremely proud of what the faculty, staff, and students, in Union County, have accomplished.
Early learning and literacy are two key focuses in Union County. We are committed to increasing the percentage of our students in grades K-2 that read on or above grade level. To accomplish this goal, we are excited to expand our half day 4K program into a full day CERDEP program. We have embraced the science of reading and have implemented a guaranteed and viable curriculum that includes a strong phonics component. The majority of our early childhood teachers and administrators have completed Lexia Learning’s LETRS training. Others are trained in reading recovery and Orton-Gillingham’s Dyslexia training. Our teachers use all of these tools to better support students that experience reading difficulties. A new partnership with Save the Children has provided us with two full time parent educators. Similar to the First Steps program, this partnership allows our parent educators to work with parents and children ages 0-3 to prepare them for kindergarten.
Students in grades 9-12 are provided multiple opportunities to succeed. In addition to our traditional program, Union County High School offers an all-day virtual learning option for students. The district’s adult education program is also an option for students that need an alternate route. Through real-world experiences that promote critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration and teamwork, our students finish high school ready for the college experiences and career opportunities that await them within our own community and beyond. To prepare students for college, our students can enroll in our early college program or take additional dual enrollment course offerings through Spartanburg Community College, the University of South Carolina-Union and the University of South Carolina-Upstate. To prepare students for careers, our students can earn industry credentials and completer certifications at our local career and technology center. Because of our work-based learning program and access to our upstate regional career development specialist, our students are able to work with local businesses to build partnerships that reap bountiful benefits for our entire community. Exploring these pathways allows our students multiple opportunities to advance to the next level.
Outside of the classroom and within our community, we host many literacy and family engagement events where we give away books to students and provide families with instructional resources. Events like our annual Reading Under the Stars, the My Family Reads, our district’s annual anthology night, Battle of the Books, book giveaways in various neighborhoods within our community, and school family engagement nights are events our families and community members look forward to attending each year.
Our teachers work very hard to support our students and to respond to their individual learning needs. Through the use of professional learning communities, teachers work collectively to identify essential learning targets, develop curriculum guides and instructional frameworks, share instructional strategies, and analyze assessment data to increase student achievement.
I ask that you join me as we work together to make Union County Schools a district where every student achieves success. In Union County, we are doing great things to grow greatness through excellence every day.
Joey L. Haney
Superintendent
