South Carolina Teacher Forum

The purpose of the South Carolina Teacher Forum is to give recognition to the state and district teachers of the year, to develop teacher leadership among this outstanding group, to give teachers a voice in educational issues that face teacher s today at all levels and to impact the professional development of other teachers by encouraging its members to facilitate the development of leadership skills among their peers.

The Teacher Forum serves as a recruitment resource in supporting the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, & Advancement's other programs in an effort to retain the brightest teachers in the classrooms of South Carolina.

Under the leadership of Terry Dozier, 1985 South Carolina and National Teacher of the Year, the South Carolina Teacher Forum was established in 1986 by the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, & Advancement as part of its mission to improve teacher retention. It offers teachers across South Carolina the opportunity to participate in discussions on national, state and local educational issues; and to dialogue with key leaders and policy makers about a variety of topics affecting the educational system.

The South Carolina Teacher Forum is an organization for the district teachers of the year to provide them with the opportunity to

  • participate in discussions on national, state, and local educational issues
  • dialogue with key leaders and policy makers about educational issues
  • give recognition to state and district teachers of the year
  • develop teacher leadership
  • provide teachers a voice in educational issues
  • impact the professional development of all teachers