Last week, local representatives, educators and superintendents across several Virginia school districts came together at Norfolk State University to celebrate an enriching new grant to improve teacher retention at high-needs school districts.
The Tidewater Education Consortium (TEC) announced a nearly $9 million grant award from the U.S. Department of Education that will aim to improve teacher preparation, strengthen teacher recruitment efforts and retain skilled educators.
TEC, which consists of the Isle of Wight County, Portsmouth and Suffolk public school systems, will work in partnership with the University of Maryland and Norfolk State University to focus their efforts on underserved school districts, especially those in rural areas.
"This initiative provides us a consortium to review curriculum to include best practices for preparing teachers from the perspective of practitioners in the field," states School of Education Associate Dean Dr. Cynthia Nicholson. "NSU students will benefit from stipends from the program to pay for tuition and costs associated with seeking a degree that prepares them to become teachers."
Dr. Nicolson, along with representatives from Isle of Wight, Suffolk, and Portsmouth schools came together on Thursday November 7 to speak on the impact of the grant and the challenges ahead. NSU Honors English Education major Gabrielle Parker reflected on how impactful teacher relationships drove her passion for teaching and how this grant would enrich her future career.
As she approaches her senior year, Parker hopes this grant will help curve the staggering statistic that 54% of teachers change career paths within the first 5 years. “I want to encourage you all to keep supporting programs like this that help future teachers succeed,” she said, “and I want to ensure you all that I will not be one of the statistics.”
Click here to learn more about The Tidewater Education Consortium (TEC).