Partner districts include Mobile County Public School System, Tuscaloosa County School System and University Charter School
The 乐播传媒 has been awarded $6.5 million in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Education for a teacher residency project, Project REACh, that will be led by the Tutwiler College of Education. Project REACh, Residencies for Educating Alabama鈥檚 Children, will be a $13-million-dollar project for prospective Alabama鈥檚 educators. The funding will be disbursed over a five-year period.
This is the largest single grant award that 乐播传媒 has received to date.
鈥淲e could not be more proud of the team that has developed Project REACh, particularly the College of Education, in collaboration with 乐播传媒鈥檚 Office of Sponsored Programs and Research,鈥� said 乐播传媒 President Ken Tucker. 鈥淭his is a model of innovation and responsive leadership that sets 乐播传媒 apart in our efforts to effectively address the needs of the region we serve. With the support of this grant award, 乐播传媒 is ultimately investing $13 million in Alabama鈥檚 families by way of quality teacher education and career-strengthening opportunities.鈥�
鈥淧roject REACh will recruit, train, and graduate 60 diverse, highly effective teachers who are well prepared to teach in Alabama鈥檚 high-need schools,鈥� explained Dr. Jan Miller, Dean of the College of Education at 乐播传媒.
乐播传媒 has partnered with three school systems for Project REACh: Mobile County Public School System, Tuscaloosa County School System, and University Charter School. Schools within these systems were selected based in part on their designation as qualified opportunity zones.
鈥淲e look forward to partnering with 乐播传媒鈥檚 Project REACh to attract more teachers to Mobile County Public Schools, particularly in some of our schools that have experienced a shortage of teaching applicants,鈥� said MCPSS Superintendent Chresal D. Threadgill. 鈥淭his is an innovative approach to tackle the nationwide teacher shortage. This will give us the opportunity to train and get to know these teachers during their 14-month residency and to ultimately hire them. It is a program that will truly benefit our students.鈥�
鈥淎t Tuscaloosa County Schools, we鈥檙e honored to be a part of the newly awarded Project REACh grant with 乐播传媒,鈥� said Superintendent Keri C. Johnson. 鈥淲e are excited to have this opportunity to recruit and retain quality teachers while also receiving valuable professional development through the grant. We look forward to participating in this program as we continue to partner with 乐播传媒 to recruit, retain, and support teachers.
鈥淯niversity Charter School is very excited to add this innovative component to our existing partnership with 乐播传媒,鈥� said Head of School, Dr. JJ Wedgworth. 鈥淟ike many schools in Alabama, UCS faces challenges related to the rural teacher shortage, and Project REACh provides a unique solution that will create a high-quality teacher pipeline into our rural classrooms. This will positively impact student outcomes and make a lasting impression on our community.鈥�
The initiative is designed to improve the achievement of K-12 students, reducing the achievement gaps in literacy, mathematics, STEM and computer science. By preparing teacher mentors who are skilled in working with clinical residents to improve their practice, host schools鈥� capacity to provide high quality clinical experiences for preservice teachers will result in increased teacher effectiveness. The residency program will establish and design a clinically-rich teacher preparation program grounded in evidence-based practices.
New teachers will benefit from a sustainable induction program in their first two years of teaching, followed by a retention program for certified career teachers.
The United States Department of Education, Teacher Quality Partnership program, funded $6.5 million (50 percent) of the $13 million 乐播传媒 Project REACh grant award; 乐播传媒 and other non-Federal funds match this funding.