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2011 Arkansas Grantee Abstracts

Grantee Name:University of Central Arkansas
Project Name:The University of Central Arkansas Partnership Transition To Teaching (P3T)
Project Director:Diana Pounder   501-450-5402
Partner Districts/LEAs:Little Rock School District, North Little Rock School District

PROJECT ABSTRACT

The University of Central Arkansas, (UCA) in partnership with Little Rock School District (LRSD) and North Little Rock School Districts (NLRSD) is requesting Transition to Teaching Program grant funds to recruit, prepare, place, and retain 120 highly qualified new STEM teachers at a rate of 30 per year in four annual cohorts who will teach mathematics and science in twelve middle schools and seven high schools in these two urban school districts (LEAs). The goal of the UCA Partnership Transition to Teaching (P3T) is to develop and expand the capacity of the University’s partnership with the school districts to recruit, prepare, place, and retain mathematics and science teachers to work in the partner high need schools, which have documented the need for teachers in these subject areas, as well as the need for teachers in their districts who are from groups traditionally underrepresented in STEM including minorities, individuals with disabilities, and women.

The participating teachers will earn provisional teaching licensure and credentials in one year while working as university intern teachers in the targeted partnership school districts. For this alternative accelerated route, the partnership will recruit recent graduates, career changers, paraprofessionals, and STEM majors committed to pursuing single-subjects credentials. This proposal builds on the current Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree program at the University of Central Arkansas in the College of Education. The MAT is a 36-hour graduate degree program that offers licensure options for Early Childhood, Middle Level, and Secondary teachers and is structured to accommodate most working students’ schedules.

The program activities will be structured for cohorts of candidates without teaching credentials who have earned baccalaureate degrees in specific content areas and want to become teachers in an expeditious fashion. Other unique features include the recruitment of recent graduates from the UCA College of Mathematics and Natural Sciences’ (CMNS) STEM Residential College and throughout the state of Arkansas. Candidates will engage in high quality, innovative STEM educational opportunities and professional development activities through the UCA STEM Institute. These activities will be aligned with state and national initiatives to include common core standards in mathematics.


 
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Last Modified: 10/04/2011