Some Patrick County teachers can benefit from grants funding professional development in mathematics and science, according to a news release from the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE).
The VDOE has awarded more than $2.4 million in second-year grants to support 13 programs established last year to increase the content knowledge and sharpen the classroom skills of the commonwealth’s mathematics and science teachers.
The grants are from the federal Mathematics and Science Partnership (MSP) program, which supports efforts by colleges and universities to provide high-quality, professional development programs for teachers with the goal of improving instruction and closing achievement grants in math and science.
Funded partnerships must include a mathematics, science or engineering department from at least one institution of higher learning and at least one high-needs school division, the news release stated.
The Secondary Mathematics Professional Development Center was awarded $242,866 for Radford University, NASA Langley Research Center, Longwood University, Virginia Commonwealth University and Virginia Tech to serve 156 teachers in 27 school divisions, including Patrick County.
“The professional development opportunities provided through this program over the last 15 years have been critical to the commonwealth’s efforts to equip teachers with the knowledge and skills they need to prepare their students to meet Virginia’s high expectations for learning and achievement in mathematics and science,” said Superintendent of Public Instruction Steven R. Staples.
Mathematics and Science Partnership grants were authorized under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. While the grant program was not included in the new federal education law, the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015, funding will be available in 2017 for a third and final year of awards.
More information about the Mathematics and Science Partnership projects and resources is available on the VDOE website.
