Five year grant given to CSUB
By Nick Robison
Staff Writer
n.robison@yahoo.com
On Oct. 2, the United Sates secretary of education, Arne Duncan, announced California State University, Bakersfield will receive a $12.6 million grant to improve teacher quality and reform teacher education at high-need schools in Central California.
CSUB received one of only 28 federal grants in the nation and the largest grant in California.
The grant is being used in creation of the Central California Partnership for Teacher Quality Programs.
The $12.6 million will be dispersed over five years.
The first year $2.4 million will be used, but not all of it at CSUB.
CSUB will be sharing the money with partnering agencies such as CSU Monterey Bay, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, Tulare County Office of Education and Kern County Superintendent of Schools.
"Part of our educational mission is to raise the education level in our community and throughout central California, and we can only be successful through strong partnerships with other educators. This grant provides a tremendous boost to that effort," said President Horace Mitchell. "The grant will help in preparing effective teachers and improving student achievement, which in turn strengthens the economic future and viability of the region."
The CCP-TQP is a collaborated program involving partnerships between three institutions of higher education and two county offices of education. These departments, together, will address diverse needs of schools and students in 16 high-need schools in mostly rural areas.
Due to all the support and letters from all the participating schools, Congressman Kevin McCarthy and other business partners, CSUB and its partnering schools were able to receive this competitive federal grant.
The CCP-TQP is set to begin in January 2010.