March 23rd, 2023 by WCBC Radio
Frostburg State University was recently awarded five-year, $3.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education for Rural Educators for Appalachian Children (REACH), a teacher quality partnership project. Under REACH, FSU will implement a dual certification special education and elementary teacher preparation program.
“The REACH project is an exciting new endeavor for the College of Education,” says Dr. Boyce Williams, Dean of FSU’s College of Education. “We are so pleased to be able to meet the needs of our surrounding districts and the students they serve, and we are enthusiastic about our collaboration in high-need schools.”
Partnering with schools in Allegany, Mineral, Morgan and Pendleton Counties and Turkeyfoot Valley Area School District, REACH will utilize focused strategies to enhance the teacher career continuum to increase the number of highly effective and culturally responsive educators for special education in rural America, specifically in Appalachia.
In addition to the dual certification offering at FSU, the REACH program will also feature a two-year induction period to focus on targeted professional learning for graduates teaching in partner schools; a teacher-leader pathway for those educators interested in pursuing National Board Certification; and will leverage the expertise and resources of more than 20 organizations dedicated to improving student achievement and long-term outcomes.
Over the course of the grant, 120 teacher candidates and 210 additional educators will graduate with the skills and expertise to serve approximately 10,000 students in high-need rural areas to help make systemic improvements in teaching and learning.