AU's School of Education will receive a $6.4 million grant to be awarded over the next five years from the Department of Education's Teacher Quality Enhancement Program, AU announced Dec. 7.
The funds will go toward programs to improve teacher education and increase the academic achievement of students in D.C. public and public charter schools.
The program's grant will fund teacher preparation institutions, like AU, so they can help prospective teachers learn how to deal with classroom environments.
AU's School of Education, part of the College of Arts and Sciences, includes teacher preparation programs organized around the principles of equity, community, diversity and excellence, according to its Web site.
AU will provide scholars and leaders who will work toward "the goal of improving the quality of teacher education through supportive professional development structures for new and practicing teachers," according to an AU press release.
AU representatives will work with representatives from several D.C. public and public charter schools in a "think tank" format to evaluate and test ways to connect "career ladders, teacher contracts, evaluations and compensation strategies, and the professional development plans of individuals and schools," according to the release.
It will include partnerships with the D.C. Public Schools Office of Bilingual Education, D.C. Teaching Fellows and Teach for America.
The main goal is a professional development framework aligned with the requirements of national standards that will eventually be tested and evaluated in AU's teacher preparation program in order to "strengthen a school's ability to attract and retain high quality teachers that will improve student learning," the release said.
The certification program includes undergraduate degrees, a master of arts in teaching and learning disabilities, and a post-baccalaureate certification for elementary, secondary and English as a Second Language teachers.
