Maryland Higher Education Commission

August 2007 Press Release

 

 

 

MHEC TO PROVIDE GRANTS TO IMPROVE TEACHER QUALITY

Grants are part of federal No Child Left Behind funding

 

 

Annapolis, MD (August 9, 2007) -- The Maryland Higher Education Commission is accepting proposals from institutions of higher education interested in providing teacher training as part of the federal government’s “No Child Left Behind”. The purpose of the grants is to provide professional development to teachers and principals in core academic subject areas.

The awards total approximately $800,000 with a maximum grant of $200,000. Grants will be awarded to K-16 partnerships that include at least one public or private institution of higher education and its division that prepares teachers and principals, a school of arts and sciences, and a “high-need” local education agency (LEA), which is defined by law as a school system with a high number of students living in poverty and a high percentage of teachers who are either teaching outside the areas in which they were trained or who lack full certification. The partnership may also include additional LEAs, nonprofit cultural organizations, an educational service agency, a teacher or principal organization, businesses, and certain other entities.

The grants will be awarded on a competitive basis and must be used to improve teacher quality, increase the number of highly qualified teachers and principals, and increase the academic achievement of Maryland students.

A technical assistance meeting is scheduled for August 24, 2007 at the Gateway Business and Technology Training Center, Room 2, in Columbia, Maryland (6751 Columbia Gateway Drive). Proposals are due on December 12, 2007, and grant awards will be made in February.

The RFP is available online at http://www.mhec.state.md.us/Grants/ITQ/ITQ.asp.  For more information about the grant, contact Paula Fitzwater at 410-260-4504.