Pressroom
Statewide Teacher Development Program Launched in Jacksonville
Wachovia Foundation Initiative Funds Council for Educational Change Program to Mentor and Retain New Teachers
Training and Retaining New Florida Teachers
Florida public schools face a severe teacher shortage today and in the coming years. The state estimates that 165,000 teachers will be needed in the next decade for enrollment growth and to replace those leaving. Florida universities produce 5,600 teacher graduates each year and 40 percent do not go into teaching. New and beginning teachers quit in record numbers during their first three years in the classroom.
|
December 1, 2004
JACKSONVILLE , Fla. – Today at a special event kicking-off an innovative statewide teacher mentoring program, veteran teacher Tanya Mayfield shared the secrets of her success as an instructional leader at Sallye B. Mathis Elementary School here.
She is sharing these same strategies with three new teachers at Sallye B. Mathis, where the mentoring program was introduced. The teachers are: Kimberly Brown, 2nd grade; Katherine O'Connor, 3rd grade; and
Marsha Davis, 3rd grade. The goal is to help them learn to become successful teachers with skills targeted to raise student achievement.
Tanya’s school, like many of the 20 schools in the program, faces significant challenges with some 89% of its student population eligible for free and reduced lunch. They also face the statewide challenge of developing, supporting, and then retaining teachers at their schools.
Sallye B. Mathis Principal Gwen Crutchfield hopes that Tanya’s work with the three new teachers will not only help them to be better teachers, but keep them at Sallye B. Mathis. “Thanks to this program,” Principal Crutchfield said, “we will develop outstanding new teachers. We want them to reach their potential right here at our school, so they will stay and help our students reach their potential. I wish this had been around when I started teaching.”
The $195,000 program is supported by several partners. The Wachovia Foundation funds the Teacher Development Program grant as part of its Teachers and Teaching Initiative (TTI), a $20 million commitment to develop and nurture teachers nationwide with the goal of increasing student achievement. “Students can only reach their full potential in school and life when they are taught by excellent teachers,” said Connie Smith, Wachovia’s Vice President of Community Affairs in Jacksonville. “So at Wachovia, we are committed to helping schools in the communities we serve recruit, develop, support and retain the very best teachers possible. With the very best teachers, students will succeed. And when students succeed, our communities succeed.”
The Council for Educational Change—Florida’s Educational Think Tank, developed the program which will be unveiled at the Dec. 1 event to help new Florida teachers excel during their critical early years in the teaching profession. One of only 18 programs in the nation approved for funding in Phase One of the Wachovia TTI initiative, it will serve approximately 100 teachers in 7 districts through direct mentorship activities. It will also serve all teachers through its online resource and learning modules which will be available through the Council for Educational Change website www.changeeducation.org in the beginning of 2005.
“Through our research and practice, we know the importance of teachers who are knowledgeable and empowered as classroom leaders responsible for student gains and growth,” said Council President and Executive Director Dr. Elaine Liftin. “We imagined a program where new teachers were supported to focus on this goal, and then we built it.”
The Jacksonville Wachovia Bank and organization already works at the school through the PASS model supported by Wachovia, the Florida Department of Education, the Council for Educational Change and the Florida Council of 100. PASS teams a leading CEO with a Principal to infuse business strategies into school improvement. Wachovia President Kelly Madden is a PASS CEO mentor at Sallye B. Mathis and works with Principal Crutchfield on a regular basis. The Teacher Development Program is delivered at twenty of the 39 current PASS schools.
“This is important work,” she said. “We believe that we can make a difference, both big picture and one school at a time.”
Duval County Public Schools is another vital partner. The district and School Board encourage partnerships with business, community and philanthropic organizations that provide services and resources, including this program, for area schools. According to Superintendent John C. Fryer Jr., “We applaud community organizations who work with the district both in schools and on educational reform. We can’t do it alone. The Teacher Development Program , combined with our University of North Florida Professional Development Partnership, has real potential to help develop and retain new teachers--a vital resource.”
Among the guests at the launch event were Peter Rummell, Council for Educational Board member; Connie Smith, Community Affairs Manager of Wachovia-Florida; Kelly Madden, North Florida Region President of Wachovia; Nancy Snyder, Deputy Superintendent, Duval County Public Schools; Dr. Levi McIntosh Jr., Region I Superintendent, Duval County Public Schools; Dr. Elaine Liftin, President and Executive Director of the Council for Educational Change; and Sherry Clarke, Council PASS Coordinator.
More information about this Teacher Development Program and the Council for Educational Change can be found at www.changeeducation.org.
|
