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

FOR RELEASE
August 10, 2000

Contact:
Jane Glickman
(202) 401-1307
Stephanie Babyak
(202) 401-2311

RILEY ANNOUNCES GRANTS TO IMPROVE TEACHER QUALITY

OLATHE , KAN., Aug. 10 ? U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley today announced the award of $5.13 million in new grants to seven states to support efforts to redesign teacher education programs and strengthen the quality of the nation's teaching force.

Riley?s announcement was made at a school district convocation at Olathe South High School.

Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine and Oklahoma will receive the 3-year grants, awarded under Title II of the Higher Education Act of 1998.

"All in all, these grants will help raise the level of teaching to new heights," Riley said, "which, in turn, will improve the skills and knowledge that our children need to succeed in the 21^st century."

The grants will support initiatives to help states ensure that all classroom teachers are well-trained. The focus will be on changing statewide policies and practices that will continue after federal funding ends. States must match 50 percent of the federal award with cash or in-kind support.

Reform initiatives include:

• Strengthening teacher certification, licensing standards, and preparation ? including alternative routes to certification ? to ensure that new teachers have stronger academic content knowledge and teaching skills;

• Holding entire institutions of higher education accountable ? not just schools of education within the college or university ? for preparing high-quality teachers with both content knowledge and teaching skills;

• State efforts that improve links between colleges and elementary and secondary schools, with more time spent in K-12 settings by teacher education students and faculty and greater use of technology in the teacher education programs;

• New strategies to attract, prepare, support and retain highly competent teachers in high-poverty urban and rural areas;

• Building and sustaining K-16 partnerships across all levels of the education system to ensure that the necessary teacher quality policy and practice changes take place in higher education and in the schools, with accountability for results.

Examples of the projects:

Kansas will revamp the preparation and licensure of educators to meet performance-based standards. The state will use Title II funds to design a mentoring model for beginning teachers, track the learning and achievement of preK-12 students working under the guidance of a beginning teacher, and increase the number of professional educators with national certification.

Illinois will use its Title II grant to focus on the middle grades ? developing a middle school teaching certificate and rigorous middle school teacher preparation standards, and increasing the supply of middle grade teachers through a statewide recruitment effort.

The State Teacher Quality Enhancement Program was funded for the first time last year, with grants awarded to 24 states for a total of $33.4 million.

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State Teacher Quality Enhancement Program Grants

NOTE TO EDITORS: More information about the teacher quality program can be found at www.ed.gov/offices/OPE/heatqp/