A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

FOR RELEASE
September 21, 2000

Contact:
Jane Glickman
(202) 401-1307

Stephanie Babyak
(202) 401-2311

EIGHT NEW GRANTS AWARDED TO IMPROVE TEACHER TRAINING

U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley today awarded $5.9 million for eight new grants designed to better train teachers for the challenges of today's classrooms. "This program takes traditional teacher education off the campus and into the heart of the classroom and community," Riley said. "These beginning teacher grants are an added benefit for school districts that have trouble attracting and retaining teachers, especially secondary teachers with strong backgrounds in the subjects they teach." The grants support partnerships involving one or more college or university teacher preparation programs, the school of arts and sciences at the school, and a high-need school district. A school district is considered high-need if at least one of its elementary or secondary schools has 50 percent or more of its students from families with incomes below the poverty line, more than 34 percent of its secondary teachers are not teaching in the content area in which they were trained to teach, or 15 percent or more of its teachers have left in the last three years. The goals are to improve teacher education programs, train teachers to be successful in high-need schools, and address factors that may contribute to high teacher turnover. The grantees are expected to:

• produce teachers with strong content knowledge in the subject they teach;

• immerse student teachers in extensive clinical experiences so that they are well prepared for the challenges of the classroom;

• establish mentoring and other supportive activities for beginning teachers; and

• integrate technology in the training progam so beginning teachers can use technology effectively in the classroom.

Partnerships must match federal funds with cash or in-kind support.

"Effective teachers are the most critical link to educational excellence and to creating a life-long love of learning in our children," Riley said. "The reform movement in teacher preparation is very much alive, and I hope that the promising practices these grants produce will be replicated nationwide and put into practice in classrooms and teacher colleges around the nation."

NOTE TO EDITORS: Following is a list of the teacher partnership grants.

Teacher Quality Enhancement Program
FY2000 Partnership Grants

CALIFORNIA

Lead Partner: California State University (CSU), Northridge
FY2000 award: $239,679      Total 5-year award: $1,198,921
Contact Name: Arlinda Eaton
Phone: (818) 677-2621

Partner: Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)

Called Integrated Teacher Education Program (ITEP), the project will make changes in the way future teachers learn content knowledge, the number and continuity of field experiences, the use of technology for improving student achievement in elementary schools, and the way that new teachers working in urban classrooms are inducted into the profession.

Partners: Los Rios Community College District; San Juan and Elk Grove Unified School Districts

This partnership will establish the Equity Network, a new and innovative undergraduate BA/certification programs at CSU to prepare highly effective teachers who can meet the needs of low income, culturally and linguistically diverse students; and, at the same time, improve student achievement in elementary and secondary schools that serve as placement sites for the student.

GEORGIA

Lead Partner: University of Georgia, Athens
FY2000 award: $878,294      Total 5-year award: $6,492,635
Contact Name: Michael J. Padilla
Phone: (706) 542-1686

Partners: Six local independent school districts (ISDs): Clarke County, Barrow County, Jackson County, Madison County, Oconee County, Oglethorpe County; Valdosta State Univ. Colleges of Education and Arts and Sciences and two ISDs: Cook County, Valdosta County; Albany State University Colleges of Education and Arts and Sciences and three ISDs: Dougherty County, Lee County, Mitchell County; seven community colleges: Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, Bainbridge College, Darton College, Gainesville College, South Georgia College, Truett-McConnell College, Waycross College; three Regional Educational Service Agencies and two business partners: Charter Communications and CompassLearning.

The Georgia Systemic Teacher Education Program (GSTEP) links 3 universities, 11 school districts, 2 business partners and state education agencies in a shared commitment to establish seamless, high quality learning opportunities and support for beginning teachers, especially in Georgia's high-need schools; and to assist teachers in bringing all learners to high achievement levels through effective instruction and classroom assessment.

ILLINOIS

Lead Partner: National Louis University, Evanston
FY2000 award: $1,216,069      Total 5-year award: $6,308,245
Contact Name: Dr. Jane Gard
Phone: 312/261-3227

Partners: Aurora East Schools District 131, Community Unit School District, Dolton/Riverdale School District 148, Harvey Public School District 152, Prairie-Hills Elementary School District, Thornton Township High School District 205, Decatur Public School District 61, Springfield Public School District 186, East Moline School District 37, Rock Island Public School District 41, Elgin Community College, South Suburban College, Waubonsee Community College, Lincoln Land Community College, Richland Community College, Black Hawk College, Association of Teacher Educators, Consortium for Educational Change, Illinois Board of Higher Education, Illinois Community College System, Illinois Education Association, Illinois Family Education Center, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Illinois Governor's Office, Illinois Learning Partnership, Illinois State Board of Education, North Central Regional Educational Laboratory, COLLEGIS, Illinois Business Roundtable, the Ball Foundation, Illinois Professional Learner's Partnership, NLU's Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers To Use Technology Project

The Illinois Teacher Education Partnership (ITEP) will redesign the way teachers are prepared with the goal being to raise the academic achievement of students in 10 high-need districts in the northern, central, and western regions of Illinois. To that end, ITEP will prepare 750 teachers for high-need schools and provide support to 500 of them through a systematic induction program.

MARYLAND

Lead Partner: University of Maryland System, Adelphi
FY2000 award: $891,056      Total 5-year award: $4,187,912
Contact Name: Nancy S. Shapiro
Phone: (301) 445-2797

Partners: Prince George's Community College, and Prince George's County Public Schools (PGCPS)

Project LINC (Learning IN Communities) will create a 3-year mentoring and induction program for new teachers; redesign teacher education through professional development schools and collaboration between arts and sciences and education faculty; recruit additional math and science teachers into PGCPS through scholarships and stipends; and infuse technology into K-16 teaching and learning.

OHIO

Lead Partner: Bowling Green State University
FY2000 award: $789,636      Total 5-year award: $4,154,493
Contact Name: Dr. W. Robert Midden
Phone: (419) 372-0563

Partners: The Bowling Green Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Education and Human Services, Technology, Music and Business Administration; a high need urban school system in Toledo, Ohio, local community agencies and businesses.

The partnership will create an interactive, web-based, teacher professional development system. Special attention will be given to training pre-service students on how to best work with youth in high need urban areas, and undergraduate students will work with teachers and students in high need schools in Toledo.

TEXAS

Lead Partner, University of Houston
FY2000 award: $897,162      Total 5-year award: $3,945,239
Contact Name: W. Robert Houston
Phone: 713/743-5049

Partners: Texas Southern University, University of Houston-Downtown, University of St. Thomas, Houston Community College, Alief Independent School District, Aldrine Independent School District, Houston Independent School District, Humble Independent School District, North Forest Independent School District, Spring Branch Independent School District, Houston Annenberg Challenge.

The Houston Partnership for Quality Education will redesign teacher preparation, strengthen collaboration among universities, school, businesses and community organizations, and integrate technology at all levels of the teacher preparation program.

Lead Partner: University of Texas at El Paso
FY2000 award: $784,507     Total 5-year award: $4,076,856
Contact Name: Arturo Pacheco
Phone: (915) 747-5572

Partners: Project partners include the Colleges of Education, Science and Liberal Arts at the UTEP; the El Paso Community College, three urban and six rural school districts, the El Paso Collaborative for Academic Excellence, and Region 19 Education Service Center.

The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) Partnership project will address the critical needs in the recruitment, preparation and retention of new teachers in El Paso's urban and rural areas. It will establish ten Professional Development Schools, increase the number of master teachers for high-quality field placements, develop an induction program, and establish a university center to govern and deliver teacher preparation.

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