January 27, 2003
Carnegie grant expands reach of UCSC's New Teacher
Center
By Jennifer McNulty
The New Teacher Center at UCSC will further expand its reach with a
$750,000 grant from the Carnegie Corporation.
The funds will enable the New Teacher Center (NTC) to partner with
three or four college or university education departments to build a
bridge of support for new teachers that reaches from college preparation
through the first two years in the classroom.
"By linking school districts with teacher preparation programs,
we'll help ensure that new teachers get the benefit of continuous, coordinated
support," said NTC director Ellen Moir. The selection process to
identify the partners is under way and results are expected in March,
she added.
Based at UCSC, the NTC is a leading force behind the development of
high-quality teacher and administrator induction programs nationally.
The center advocates for a mentor-based induction program developed
by the Santa Cruz New Teacher Project, which has provided support to
more than 9,000 new teachers in California.
The NTC model taps the expertise of exemplary veteran teachers who
are released full time from classroom duties and trained to mentor novice
teachers. The model requires strong institutional commitment from school
districts, noted Moir.
"Research shows that districts that invest in high-quality support
programs for new teachers have higher teacher retention rates, and we
know that high-quality teachers are the single most important factor
in student achievement," said Moir.
The Carnegie Corporation grant will facilitate coordination between
the selected institutions preparing the next generation of teachers
and local school districts. The three-year effort will implement the
NTC model in participating schools so that preservice programs at the
university level are aligned with district programs.
The center will link the partners and provide the foundation for coordination,
train new teacher mentors, provide ongoing coaching for mentors, and
collect data to document the effects of the project.
"By collaborating across institutional boundaries, we are able
to span the continuum of teacher development," said Moir. "The
goal is to improve teacher development, teacher retention, and student
achievement."
The project is linked to the Carnegie Corporation's high-profile Teachers
for a New Era program, an ambitious reform initiative geared toward
revitalizing and radically revising teacher preservice programs across
the country.
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