About SC-DREAM
The University of South Carolina’s SC-DREAM project is a teaching residency for individuals with strong academic and/or professional backgrounds who are without teaching experience or teaching certification. SC-DREAM is designed for individuals who hold a bachelor’s degree and who are interested in transitioning from their current profession to become an elementary teacher within a partner school district in South Carolina. SC-DREAM embodies a Grow Your Own approach to recruitment, preparation, development, and retention of high-quality educators. SC-DREAM aims to uplift the assets individuals and communities possess through a strengths-based approach and create a more diverse teaching workforce to better reflect the students served within our South Carolina elementary classrooms. In collaboration with partner districts and schools, SC-DREAM equips educators to meet students’ academic, social, behavioral, and emotional needs in high-need districts through our collective efforts of equity-centered multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS).
As a SC-DREAM resident, you will receive both professional and financial support as you simultaneously pursue a Master of Arts in Teaching degree and an elementary education teaching certification. The project provides a unique, year-long residency experience with students in grades 2-6, along with coaching and mentoring with specific attention to equity-centered MTSS. Following certification, CarolinaTIP provides induction support during the first three years of teaching.
SC-DREAM Timeline
SC-DREAM is an eighteen-month residency beginning in the spring (with pre-requisite coursework) and ending the following summer, followed by induction support. SC-DREAM will have three cohorts of residents with coursework and residency occurring in the following years: Cohort 1 (Spring 2025-Spring 2026), Cohort 2 (Spring 2026 - Spring 2027), and Cohort 3 (Spring 2027 - Spring 2028).
Sample Cohort 1 Timeline
- Spring 2025: Begin Coursework (pre-requisites)
- Summer 2025: Summer Institute & Graduate Coursework
- Fall 2025: Residency & Graduate Coursework
- Spring 2026: Residency & Graduate Coursework (anticipated graduation)
- Summer 2026: Complete Residency
- Fall 2026 - Spring 2029: Induction Support with CarolinaTIP
Note: All residents are committed to teaching within a partner district for a minimum of three years post graduation.
For more information, complete the SC-DREAM Information Request Form, or email our Project Manager, Carli Toliver, at scdream.usc@gmail.com