From L to R: Dr. Jacob Easley II, associate professor of education at Mercy College; Camille Joseph, legislative correspondent in the office of Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand D-N.Y.; Dr. Debra Colley, dean of the College of Education at Niagara University; Dr. Lois Fisch, professor of education at Utica College; Patricia Wrobel, assistant dean for external relations in Niagara University’s College of Education; and Kristin Conklin, assistant vice president of institutional advancement at Bank Street College.
A partnership between Niagara University’s College of Education and the Niagara Falls City School District was recognized recently in Washington, D.C., for two grants that have produced gains in student achievement and the creation of higher-level math and science courses at the high school level.
Niagara and the school district represented New York state on Capitol Hill during the American Association for Teacher Education’s fifth annual “Day on the Hill” in June. The visit highlighted their accomplishments through the Teacher Quality Enhancement Grant, a five-year award funded by the U.S. Department of Education, and the three-year Math and Science Partnership Grant, which is funded through New York state’s Department of Education.
Both grants have afforded opportunities for university faculty as well as in-service and preservice teachers to participate in a continuum of professional development focused on literacy in the core content areas, and on the integration of math and science through inquiry-based learning. Over the last five years, 500 Niagara Falls school teachers have been involved in the grants, which have produced a districtwide initiative to provide a comprehensive, sustainable professional development model that includes having teacher leaders/content specialists in every building. The College of Education has also created new programs to meet the needs in the field: a new master’s degree in math, science and technology, and an advanced certificate of study for teacher leaders.
For more information, contact Patricia Wrobel, assistant dean for external relations, at 716.286.8309.
