State Education Commissioner John B. King, Jr. Wednesday announced the grant recipients for two programs that support educators throughout the state: the round two of the Strengthening Teacher and Leader Effectiveness (STLE) Grant Program and funding for the statewide network of Teacher Resource and Computer Training Centers (Teacher Centers).
Among the thirty-three individual school districts and six BOCES-led consortia statewide that will receive STLE 2 Program grant awards totaling $24.8 million, are five Long Island school districts where at least 25 percent of the students are from low-income families.
The Huntington, North Babylon, South Huntington, Southampton and West Hempstead school districts will divide $2.4 million to support a comprehensive approach to recruitment, development, support, retention and equitable distribution of effective teachers and school leaders, in the following amounts:
- Huntington: $544,500
- North Babylon: $603,625
- South Huntington: $750,560
- Southampton: $187,560
- West Hempstead: $271,000
Additionally, the Roslyn UFSC received over $700,000 for Teacher Resource and Computer Training Centers (Teacher Centers) in 111 districts in Nassau and Suffolk counties, designed to offer educators professional development assistance, local support, training and resources related to Common Core implementation.
"Too often, our highest need students miss out on great teachers and school leaders," Commissioner King said. "STLE grants will help high needs districts recruit, develop, and retain effective teachers and leaders. It's all about supporting our educators and helping our students succeed.
"Our goal is to prepare every student to graduate college and career ready. These grants are the product of collaborative efforts between school districts and local unions that share that goal. It's all about helping our students succeed."
Some of the STLE 2 initiatives to support teachers and leaders include:
- Opportunities for advancement via career ladder positions and structures and training built around action research, peer coaching, and co-teaching/planning;
- Individualized support for new and early career educators utilizing teacher and principal leaders as peer coaches to provide support and mentoring;
- Partnerships with institutes of higher education, including work-based learning and experiences leading to teacher certification and targeted professional development and support in specialized areas such as shifts in both literacy and math instruction;
- Support for teacher and/or leader effectiveness that will include co-planning, modeling, and peer feedback to aid the implementation and capacity building around the Common Core Standards. Ongoing training will also be provided around the Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) components, such as meaningful target-setting for student learning objectives and calibration training on the approved evaluation rubrics.
"STLE grants are focused on developing and supporting effective teachers and school leaders," Board of Regents Chancellor Merryl H. Tisch said. "Ensuring every classroom is led by an effective teacher and every school is led by an effective principal is an important part of preparing more students to graduate college- and career-ready.
"When the Board of Regents adopted the Reform Agenda, including the Common Core, we knew teachers would need supports to help our students meet the higher standards. The Teacher Center grant will provide additional professional development assistance, local support, training and resources related to Common Core implementation for thousands of teachers across New York State."
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[Source: Official NYSED Press Release]