March 29, 1996 Contact: Jennifer McNulty (408) 459-2495; mcnulty@ua.ucsc.edu

UCSC'S NEW TEACHER PROJECT RECEIVES TWO AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SANTA CRUZ, CA--An innovative teacher-training program led by the University of California, Santa Cruz, that provides professional guidance and support for teachers during their first two years in the classroom is receiving an award for excellence from a statewide educational group today (Friday, March 29, 1996).

The California Council on the Education of Teachers is awarding the Santa Cruz New Teacher Project/Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment Program (SCNTP/BTSA) its Quality of Education Award for the project's work with Starlight Elementary School in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District.

The award recognizes partnerships between universities and public schools, says Bob Curley, chair of the council's awards committee and director of secondary education at San Jose State University. "The project has made significant contributions both to the school and the district and as a model for teacher preparation throughout California," says Curley.

SCNTP/BTSA is a program of support and assessment that helps new teachers as they enter the profession of teaching. A collaborative effort by the Board of Studies in Education at UCSC, the Santa Cruz County Office of Education, and more than a dozen school districts in the greater Santa Cruz area, the project has worked since 1988 with more than 450 beginning teachers to promote excellent teaching.

"Research shows that teachers who receive this type of assistance demonstrate higher levels of professional development and are better able to work with culturally and linguistically diverse students," says Ellen Moir, director of teacher education at UCSC and director of SCNTP/BTSA. After nearly eight years, less than 10 percent of teachers who participated with SCNTP/BTSA have left teaching--compared to a national dropout rate of nearly 50 percent.

During the 1995-96 school year, eight veteran teachers have been released from their regular classroom duties to work with nearly 100 new teachers being served by the project. These veteran teachers, known as new teacher advisers, observe and coach the new teachers, offer emotional support, assist with short- and long-term planning, design classroom-management strategies, teach demonstration lessons, provide curriculum resources, and facilitate communication with the principal.

The California Council on the Education of Teachers (CCET) is a statewide organization of teacher educators. Its members represent most of the state's institutions of higher education that have teacher education programs, says Curley.

The CCET award is the second time in recent months that SCNTP/BTSA has been recognized for its work. The project also received the Parade of Excellence award from the National Council of States for the Improvement of Education (NCSIE). The NCSIE Parade of Excellence award recognizes programs that exemplify educational excellence. SCNTP/BTSA was one of only six programs that received the national distinction at the Nineteenth Annual NCSIE Conference in Anaheim in November.

This release is also available on the World Wide Web at UCSC's "Services for Journalists" site (http://www.ucsc.edu/news/journalist.html) or via modem from UC NewsWire (209-244-6971).

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