Commissioner King Announces Recipients of Two Grant Programs to Support Educators

State Education Commissioner John B. King, Jr. today 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). King also announced the release of a Request for Proposals for a third round of the STLE Program.

"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."

"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."

Strengthening Teacher and Leader Effectiveness 2 Program (STLE 2)

Thirty-three individual school districts and six BOCES-led consortia (which include thirty-five component districts) have received preliminary grant award notification totaling $24.8 million for the STLE 2 Program. STLE 2 grants are targeted to support school districts and charter schools utilizing, as part of their implementation of an Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) plan, a comprehensive approach to recruitment, development, support, retention and equitable distribution of effective teachers and school leaders.

Public school districts and public charter schools with at least 25 percent of students from low-income families and an approved APPR plan as required by Education Law §3012-c were eligible for the STLE 2 grants.

A list of school districts and BOCES-led consortia that have received preliminary STLE 2 grant award notification is available at: http://usny.nysed.gov/rttt/rfp/gt-22/fundable-applicants.html.

Some of the STLE 2 initiatives in the preliminary awardees' plans include:

• Opportunities for advancement:
  • The development/implementation of Career Ladder positions including: Instructional Coaches, Content-Area Mentors, Administrator Mentors, and Data Driven Professional Learning Community Coordinators
  • Structures and training built around the implementation of action research, peer coaching, and co-teaching/planning
• Individualized support for new and early career educators:
  • Utilizing Highly Effective Teacher and Principal Leaders as peer coaches to provide differentiated support and mentoring
• Partnerships with Institutes of Higher Education:
  • Work-based learning and experiences leading to teacher certification
  • Targeted professional development and support in specialized areas such as shifts in both literacy and math instruction
• Differentiated ongoing support for teacher and/or leader effectiveness:
  • Targeted opportunities, such as co-planning, modeling, and peer feedback to aid the implementation and capacity building around the Common Core Standards
  • Ongoing training provided around the implementation of APPR components, such as meaningful target-setting within Student Learning Objectives and calibration training on the approved evaluation rubrics

King also announced the release of a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a third round of the STLE Program (STLE 3) totaling approximately $24.2 million for the period of March 2014 through June 2015. The STLE 3 RFP, complete with eligibility requirements and list of eligible schools, is available at http://usny.nysed.gov/rttt/rfp/.

The STLE grants and activities are supported, in whole or part, by New York State's Race to the Top federal funds.

(Attached are statements from awardees of the first round of the STLE Program.)

Funding for Teacher Centers to Support Implementation of Common Core

King also announced that the existing Teacher Center Regional Networks will receive $4 million in federal Title II, Part A funding to provide targeted professional development assistance, local support, training and resources related to Common Core implementation to thousands of teachers across New York State.

The New York State Education Department, along with partners such as districts, BOCES and higher education institutions, is committed to ensuring all educators have the resources and tools to understand students' academic needs and effectively utilize the Common Core to help students prepare for college and careers. Through the awards, Teacher Center Regional Networks will be able to significantly increase the number of teachers participating in existing efforts supporting educators to successfully implement the Common Core State Standards.

Teacher Centers will continue to work collaboratively with Network Teams/Network Team Equivalents and higher education institutions on the selected Common Core initiatives. Examples of Common Core professional development provided by funded Teacher Centers could include:

• Enhancing and deepening teacher content knowledge (content-specific pedagogy);
• Supporting the implementation of the State-issued curriculum modules; and
• Increasing the effective use of the Tri-State Review Rubric and Rating process.

Teacher Resource and Computer Training Center Grant Recipients:

**Allocations were based on the percentage of teachers in each region.

Attachment

Forty-seven applicants received STLE grant awards totaling approximately $22.7 million under the first round of the program in October 2012. Below are reflections from some of the STLE 1 grantees:

• "The STLE grant has allowed our small rural district professional development opportunities that have resulted in creating a cohesive K-12 instructional environment. Our entire district now shares a common language around the instructional shifts within ELA and mathematics and is working towards establishing a culture based on a growth mindset." -Jacqueline Czamanske, Professional Development Coordinator, Canisteo-Greenwood Central School District
   
• "The funding provided by the STLE Grant has been invaluable to our efforts of properly providing staff development and support for our teachers and principals." -Kevin Kendall, Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment, Ogdensburg City School District
   
• "The teacher leader program has allowed Fort Ann Central School to refocus its energy where it is needed most. We have restructured our school day to allow teachers to be better able to plan, coordinate and communicate with each other more effectively. Teacher leaders have taken the lead in training all staff on the CCLS and shifts and providing mentorship to new and improving teachers across the district." -Nikki Huskie, Teacher Leader, Fort Ann Central School District
   
• "The program has allowed our district to build a strong resource for all of our teachers. It has been awesome being able to get all of the individuals on the team with different leadership styles and different points of view in the same room to help guide our school in the right direction." - Daniel A. Ward, Jr./Sr. High School Principal, Fort Ann Central School District
   
• "Implementing the teacher leader program has been one of the most significant sustained improvements to benefit teachers and students that we have created in our district. This program will have a lasting impact for our district by creating an environment of support, resources and ongoing professional development." -Maureen A. Van Buren, Superintendent, Fort Ann Central School District
   
• "The STLE grant has had a huge impact in three areas: career ladder, the hiring of instructional coaches, and the Common Core Tech Cadre. It has allowed people to build skills and the district to have more leadership for new initiatives than in the past. We have had some people really blossom and step forward because of these opportunities and it has had a positive impact on developing the next group of leaders within the district." -David Furletti, Executive Director of Secondary Education and Special Programs, Central Square Central School District