$450,000 grant will aid teacher training

By Wes Woods, On-Line Forty-Niner

Tuesday, October 13, 1998

A $450,000 grant to assist the Long Beach Standards-Based Teacher Preparation Project was given to Cal State Long Beach from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Oct. 6.

"This generous grant will help us make more progress [in preparing instructors], even more rapidly," said CSULB President Robert C. Maxson said in a university press release. "The standards-based model will prepare our students to be highly effective teachers."

CSULB's main focus with the project will be assisting future elementary school instructors and overhauling pre-service instructor training.

According to a university press release, The Standards-Based Teacher Preparation Project is highlighted by three key points to help students meet their needs.

The first point focuses on the need for well-trained, academic-immersed instructors who have the teaching ability to lead students in achieving the highest standards possible.

Intertwining teaching with actual content which consists of an effective education preparation curriculum is the second point. This provides the best instruction possible for students.

The last point focuses on collaboration between college institutions and individual school districts, which remains an important issue to improving teacher preparation.

Long Beach City College and Long Beach Unified School District are joining CSULB in helping bring the project to life.

"The partner institutions have committed to an unprecedented level of cooperation to assure that local college graduates meet the highest standards for employment as teachers," said A. Richardson Love Jr., Knight Foundation's director of education programs, in the press release.

The Knight Foundation provides national grants in education, journalism, arts and culture.