University of Memphis College of Education is changing its teacher preparation pro- gram with funding from the University-School Partnerships for the Renewal of Educator Preparation consortium, a beneficiary of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant.
The Gates Foundation will dedicate $34.7 million over the course of three years to five new- ly-formed Teacher Preparation Transformation Centers that plan to bring educators and K-12 school systems together, to share teaching methods and data and to ensure suitable practices.
This grant will help the U of M continue to transform and redesign the undergradu- ate teacher education programs said Nicole Thompson, assistant chair for Program Development, InstructionandCurriculum Leadership, as well as the co- chair of the Engaged Scholarship Committee,
“It is a challenging but rewarding profession, however the high accountability and pressures associated with it can make teaching incredibly difficult work,” said Thompson. “The pay is low and the demand is high.”
According to Thompson, the shortage of prepared teachers is not only the schools being included in receiving this grant, but is a nationwide issue and believes the grant will guide the progression of teachers and their students.
“The grant will be supporting faculty as they engage in specific processes,” said Thompson. “It will enhance the experiences teacher candidates have as they complete their programs of study within the college.”
The U of M is one of the partner universities in the U.S. PREP consortium headed by Texas Tech University, where the Teacher Transformation House Center is located and is the lead center for the grant that’s being implemented.
For the 2015-2016 academic year, Memphis is offering a pilot version of the model that the University is hoping to transition into and according to Dean Rakow, this is the model undergraduate teacher education program that is being offered.
Heidi Ramirez, chief academic officer of Shelby County Schools explains the money being pro- vided is intended to support the
teacher education program, as it undergoes transformation and scales the model to all undergraduate programs.
“The money could also go towards professional development for faculty, materials for teacher candidates and mentor teachers, technology, data gathering and anaylsis,” said Ramirez. “These are all possible expenditures.”
According to the U of M’s statement on the Gates grant, it will transform the way they train teachers and its U.S. PREP partners focuses on common key drivers: building competency through practice, a commitment to continuous improvement, effective teacher educators and robust partnerships with K-12 school systems and the communities they serve.
Thompsonexplainedthat being more effectively prepared and having more sustained and focused clinical experiences from the start of their teacher education program, teacher candidates will be better equipped to plan, instruct, assess and support K-12 student learning overall.
“The goal is to develop an authentic and goal-driven university school partnership that will enable both entities to work together in producing high-quality, classroom ready teachers that meet the needs of the communities served,” said Thompson. “By the end of the grant cycle, we will have made the change.”
