Albany, NY - June 9, 2014 - Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that the State University of New York is now accepting a third round of applications for the New York State Master Teacher Program. To date, 319 Master Teachers have joined the program over the past year, and up to 346 additional teachers across the state will be selected during this next round. Interested teachers are encouraged to review the application requirements to ensure that they have all required materials by September’s application deadline. The online application can be accessed here.
“Rewarding teachers who go above and beyond and enhancing opportunities for collaborative professional development are proven approaches to heightening the quality of our schools and improving student success,” Governor Cuomo said. “By bringing together and recognizing the state’s highest-performing STEM educators, we are strengthening STEM education across the state and making our students more competitive in today’s 21st century global workforce. I encourage all of New York’s outstanding educators to apply to the Master Teachers program today.”
“The Master Teacher Program is creating a critical pipeline of expert STEM teachers across New York State, and SUNY is proud to be a part of its implementation,” said SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher. “By incentivizing the best and brightest in every region to pursue a teaching degree and career in New York, and to mentor their peers in the process, the Master Teacher program is a win for our students, our schools, and our economy. We look forward to giving even more teachers this unique opportunity.”
The New York State Master Teacher Program was established last year by Governor Cuomo to identify, support and reward exceptional STEM educators throughout New York State. The role of Master Teachers as professional mentors and content experts is key to developing the state’s cadre of outstanding educators as well as inspiring future teachers.
Master Teachers will:
- Receive a $15,000 stipend per year over 4 years for participation in the program (total compensation of $60,000 per teacher).
- Engage in intensive content-oriented professional development and peer mentoring opportunities throughout the academic year.
- Work closely with pre-service and early career teachers to foster a supportive environment for the next generation of STEM teachers.
- Attend regular cohort meetings and participate in and lead professional development activities throughout the year.
Teachers will be chosen from every region of the state to participate in the program. The total number of Master Teachers in each region and the respective regional partners are:
- Capital Region: 23 (University at Albany)
- Central New York: 62 (SUNY Cortland)
- Finger Lakes: 18 (SUNY Geneseo)
- Long Island: 42 (Stony Brook University)
- Mid-Hudson: 37 (SUNY New Paltz)
- Mohawk Valley: 19 (SUNY Oneonta)
- New York City: 13 (in partnership with Math for America)
- North Country: 34 (SUNY Plattsburgh)
- Southern Tier: 23 (Binghamton University)
- Western New York: 48 (SUNY Buffalo State)
Special instructions to apply to the New York City program, coordinated in partnership with Math for America are available on SUNY’s Master Teacher website and at mathforamerica.org.