NEW JERSEY COMMISSION ON HIGHER EDUCATION

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 27, 2001
CONTACT: Jeanne Oswald
(609) 292-4310

New Jersey Colleges and Universities Receive Grants that will
Increase Capacity to Prepare Effective Teachers

Acting Governor Donald T. DiFrancesco today announced the results of a $3 million grant competition to increase teacher effectiveness. The Teacher Effectiveness Grant Program is one of two components of a $10 million program to enhance the quality of teacher preparation programs, improve classroom teacher effectiveness, and increase capacity to prepare effective new teachers.

The Teacher Effectiveness Grant awards, which were made at the monthly meeting of the Commission on Higher Education, will heighten educator's capabilities and improve student achievement by further elevating college programs that are renowned for their success in improving teacher effectiveness. Five institutions received these grants, including: New Jersey City University (Jersey City), Montclair State University (Upper Montclair), Rutgers University (two grants) (New Brunswick and Camden campuses), and The College of New Jersey (Ewing). A brief description of the winning proposals is attached.

"New Jersey is already a nationally recognized leader in many areas related to education, but we must continually improve our efforts," said Acting Governor Donald T. DiFrancesco. "The state's investment through these grants to colleges and universities will help teachers become the best educators they can be, for our children deserve no less."

The five winning Teacher Effectiveness Grant awards were among 17 proposals submitted by colleges and universities. Commission staff, in consultation with staff from the State Department of Education, developed a competitive process to award the grants. A team of in- and out-of-state reviewers with expertise in teacher effectiveness and preparation evaluated the proposals.

The second component of the program provides $7 million in Teacher Quality and Capacity Grants for the state's twenty-one public and private institutions with teacher preparation programs to address four goals: making teacher preparation a top institutional priority, increasing capacity to prepare effective teachers to fulfill growing demands and shortages, linking teacher preparation to the content standards for P-12 students, and expanding collaborative efforts with P-12 schools. Distribution of the funds was based on the size of each institution's program. A list of the institutions and the level of funding received is attached.

Proposals to use the quality and capacity funds vary among the institutions, but they all focus on meeting the statewide need for more and better-prepared teachers. Expanded institutional capacity to prepare nearly 1,000 additional teacher education graduates annually is projected as a result of the grants.

"New Jersey must reduce teacher shortages and improve teacher quality in order to increase the overall level of student proficiency," said Commission Chairman Alfred C. Koeppe. "All of the proposals awarded today aim specifically at meeting those goals, and the strength of the institutional plans and strategies will position New Jersey in the national forefront of teacher preparation and professional development."

This significant state investment in teacher quality is consistent with New Jersey's Plan for Higher Education: 1999 Update, which calls for improved and expanded teacher preparation and professional development programs.

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Teacher Effectiveness Grants Awarded by the Commission on Higher Education
July 27, 2001

Montclair State University
The Urban Teaching Academy
$748,517
Building on a successful pilot project and extending collaborative work already underway with county colleges and Abbott centers, Montclair State University will create an Urban Teaching Academy. The academy aims to recruit, prepare, and support transfer students for P-3 certification to teach in Abbott preschool centers, provide enhanced academic support for P-3 certification students, and to collaborate with urban teachers and administrators on curriculum, teaching, and mentoring for new urban teachers. The academy will impact Montclair's ability to attract high-quality students, retain them in urban classrooms, and create a cadre of mentors for urban schools who can sustain, renew, and enrich themselves, their students, and the teachers with whom they work.

New Jersey City University
Early Childhood Project Success
$669,001
New Jersey City University will partner with Hudson County Community College, and the Jersey City Public Schools to address the unprecedented demand for highly effective preschool teachers. The project will build on the strong articulation model, which allows the university and community college to help teacher education candidates transfer and move seamlessly through the teacher preparation program. Grant funds will provide Jersey City Public Schools with standards-based professional development opportunities, better align teacher preparation curricula with state and national standards, and increase the number of minority teacher candidates who complete P-3 certification.

Rutgers University (New Brunswick)
Urban Science Education Collaborative for Teacher Effectiveness
$499,979
The grant will support implementation of a model science classroom at the Lincoln Professional Development School in New Brunswick and model preservice and inservice science professional development programs for teachers throughout the state. Programs for teachers and students will be inquiry-based, focused on Core Curriculum Content Standards, capable of being integrated with mathematics and language arts instruction, and effective with high-needs students. The project will stimulate New Brunswick students to excel in science and create a pipeline for New Jersey science teachers of the future.

Rutgers University (Camden)
Institute for K-12 World Languages and Science
$306,002
Addressing the critical shortage of qualified teachers in the areas of world languages and the sciences, Rutgers-Camden will establish an Institute for K-12 World Languages and Science within its teacher preparation program and professional development institutions for cooperating teachers. The university will collaborate with urban school districts to develop, implement, and evaluate subject-specific practicum experiences for elementary and secondary teachers. In addition, Rutgers will work in close collaboration with community colleges to provide eligible science and foreign language majors competitive scholarship opportunities and establish a summer training program focusing on issues relevant to urban education for transfer students pursuing K-12 certification in a foreign language or science discipline.

The College of New Jersey
Preparing Special and Elementary Educators to Use Inquiry- and Design-Based Problem-Solving Strategies to Include Students with Disabilities and Enhance All Students' Learning
$749,333
The College of New Jersey will prepare K-12 teachers and special education teachers to develop and implement integrated math, science and technology activities that utilize an inquiry- and design-based problem solving approach. This interdisciplinary initiative addresses the shortage of special education teachers in New Jersey, the fact that many elementary school teachers lack preparation to include students with disabilities, and the lack of teachers who are skilled in teaching project-based, math, science and technology. In collaboration with Mercer County Community College and the Trenton School District, The College of New Jersey will expand the impact of the project particularly with disadvantaged districts through its Professional Development Schools Network.


NEW JERSEY TEACHER PREPARATION QUALITY & CAPACITY GRANTS

INSTITUTIONALLOCATION
Bloomfield College$37,080
Caldwell College$117,688
Centenary College$91,800
College of Saint Elizabeth$180,562
Fairleigh Dickinson University$151,543
Felician College$130,585
Georgian Court College$312,759
Kean University$865,663
Monmouth University$394,979
Montclair State University$478,812
New Jersey City University$473,975
Princeton University$32,242
Ramapo College of New Jersey$83,832
Richard Stockton College of NJ$187,011
Rider University$378,858
Rowan University$793,183
Rutgers, The State University of NJ$496,545
Saint Peter's College$187,864
Seton Hall University$191,847
The College of New Jersey$775,449
William Paterson University of NJ$636,803

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