NEW ORLEANS — From Tulane University:
The U.S. Department of Education has awarded over $10 million in federal funding to expand and enhance teacher recruitment efforts in New Orleans.
Tulane University School of Professional Advancement (Tulane SoPA) will operate as lead recipient of the Department of Education’s Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) Grant Program, partnering with New Schools for New Orleans (NSNO) to oversee the “NOLA SEED” program. The program aims to recruit and develop 552 highly effective, culturally competent, certified educators to be placed in New Orleans public schools. Other key partners include Xavier University of Louisiana’s Norman C. Francis Teacher Residency, Reach University and The New Teacher Project’s (TNTP) teachNOLA.
“We are excited for such a significant investment to expand the critical work of teacher recruitment and retention across our city with the NOLA SEED program. We know that strong teachers are the single most important factor in student success in the classroom and we look forward to the impact this program will have in New Orleans,” said Dana Peterson, CEO of New Schools for New Orleans.
The SEED grant focuses funding on teacher preparation programs. NOLA SEED has a three-step approach that includes expanding and enhancing the city’s most successful educator preparation programs. It will also work on removing barriers of entry into the teaching profession by helping future educators earn bachelor’s degrees so they can enter the educator preparation programs. Finally, it will include expanding innovative high school based Grow Your Own (GYO) programs to address the core problem of low enrollment in these projects. High school students will take courses on teaching in high school and spend some time in elementary school classrooms to practice what they learn. The National Center for Grow Your Own will work with local schools to help secure long-term funding for this work.
“The NOLA SEED program will bring hundreds of additional effective teachers to NOLA-PS schools and we look forward to working with all of the partner organizations involved to build this critical talent pipeline in our city,” said Dr. Avis Williams, Superintendent of New Orleans Public Schools.
The PreK-12 Education program and Tulane SoPA offer degrees, certificates and endorsements for teachers who wish to specialize in Early Childhood Education, Secondary Education, Special Education and Teaching English Learners.
“Tulane has a strong history of preparing teachers for the classroom,” said Suri Duitch, Dean of the Tulane School of Professional Advancement. “This grant will provide a much-needed boost in support for aspiring teachers as well as experienced teachers looking to advance in their careers.”
