Southeastern NEWS
Southeastern Louisiana University
University Relations Office
SLU 880, Hammond, LA 70402
504/549-2341/fax 504-549-2061
Date: 5/11/98
Contact: Carol Dotson 25
SLU & USL COLLABORATE TO IMPROVE READING AND MATH
HAMMOND, LA -- Southeastern Louisiana University has received a grant from the
Louisiana Board of Regents for a cooperative program with the University of Southwestern
Louisiana to improve math and reading skills among elementary school students.
The $184,933 grant was a part of a $1 million program initiated this year by Governor
Foster and the Legislature to upgrade teaching skills throughout the state and to increase
education opportunities for urban and rural school children, especially those considered by
educators to be "at risk."
The whole nation is struggling to find better ways to prepare teachers for the challenges
of today s classrooms, said Joe Savoie, Louisiana Commissioner of Higher Education. We in
Louisiana have made a major step in that direction."
The Board of Regents new Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning awards grants
to university programs that strengthen teacher preparation, especially those that focus on K-3
reading and mathematics, middle school issues, classroom technology and leadership
development. All public and independent colleges and universities that offer K-12 teacher
preparation programs are eligible to apply.
The SLU/USL partnership will work with several school districts in Tangipahoa,
Livingston, St. Tammany and the Lafayette area, to recreate course work and actual classroom
experiences to teach the latest national standards in reading and mathematics. USL will
concentrate on reading, while Southeastern will focus on math and reading.
According to Southeastern's Teacher Education department head, Martha Head, SLU will
restructure the Education 321 course, which instructs pre-service teachers in methods of teaching
math and reading in the elementary grades.
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SLU Reform grant/ADD ONE
"We're aligning the curriculum with recently updated state and national content standards.
This grant will provide both the material and time to do it." The SLU program has been named
Project CREATE (Collaboration for Reform in the Education of Aspiring TEachers).
Southeastern, a leader in math and reading reform methods, has several summer and year-
round programs that train teachers in those methods. "We will work with our current programs,
such as the LaSIP funded Project PRIME and our Early Literacy Initiative," said Head. "We hope
to use those teachers who have been through a Southeastern reform program as mentor teachers
for our education students. We will also involve other exemplary teachers in the area who have
not yet been through our program."
Among the goals for Project CREATE is the incorporation of technology in innovative
ways, from having course material available via web-site, to access for teachers by computer
extenders, a hand-held computer which can be used to present material to children in small group
settings. The grant also allows for a faculty planning retreat.
"The more people we have involved in the reform effort, the better the result." said Head.
"Our pre-service teachers are going to get a very enriched program. We also have a evaluation
plan in effect and we're collecting data now to measure our effectiveness."
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This press release is available on the World Wide Web at
www.selu.edu/NewsEvents/PublicInfoOffice/newsp98.htm
aligning currciulm with national standards
joint effort of faculty who teach that course - & professional development programs
plan to use teachers as mentor teachers for students- esp thos trained in eli and prime.
also using exemplary teachers who haven't been through program; student usually do field
experience in tangi, liv, st tammany- cuz of distance
USL basically same- only reading-; they have a new proejct eli
USL faculty attended K-3 leadership iniative; began in Jan- conduct workshop for schoola nd
univ personnel on early lit model and project primee
part of this grant to id- field support staff....
incorporate technology in innovative ways- course material available via web site; participants
will have access to computer extned- low cost hand held computer can be used for distance
communication (email, internt) has software can use to present material to children in small
group; will purchase some with grant moeny
faculty planning retreat-
hope to :
restructure pre-servic program; children in class will have higher schores- better classroom
teaching all year long; combined effort of univ and distrcts supporting sending their teachers
tothe program
lot of orgs and groups
national standra- last 3-4 years; have been finalized and the state standards to match them...
grant will give us a vheicle to have material and time to do it...
pre-service teachers get very enriched program, collecting data to compare their effectiveness-
evaluation plan
exciting cuz if gonna hav reform, have to involve a lot of people...
Project CREATE (Collaboration for Reform in the Education of Apriring TEachers)
Other schools receive grants were LSU, Louisiana Tech, Grambling State, Nicholls,
Southern in Baton Rouge, UNO,
board of regents grant - education
-- $184,933 to Southeastern Louisiana University and the University of Southwestern
Louisiana in Lafayette, working with several school districts in their areas, to recreate course
work and actual classroom experiences for elementary education students to teach the latest
national standards in reading and mathematics. The program will use inexpensive, portable
telecommunications technologies to link preservice teachers, mentor teachers, field support staff
and university faculty.
EIGHT LA. UNIVERSITIES RECEIVE GRANTS TO IMPROVE K-12 READING AND
MATH SKILLS
BATON ROUGE -- Eight Louisiana universities have received over $827,000 in grants
through the Louisiana Board of Regents to create innovative new ways to improve math and
reading skills among elementary and high school students around the state.
The grants are part of a $1 million program initiated this year by Governor Foster and the
Legislature to upgrade teaching skills throughout the state and to increase educational
opportunities for urban and rural school children, especially those considered by educators to be
at risk.
The first grants through this new program were announced by the Board of Regents at its
Thursday, April 23 meeting in Baton Rouge. The program is administered by the Board of
Regents new Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning.
The whole nation is struggling to find better ways to prepare teachers for the challenges
of today s classrooms, said Joe Savoie, Louisiana commissioner of higher education. We in
Louisiana have made a major step in that direction. The center s mission is to improve K-12
teacher preparation programs in specific areas. We are working with the Board of Elementary
and Secondary Education and Superintendent of Education Cecil Picard to reinforce their own
efforts.
The center will award grants to university programs that strengthen teacher preparation,
especially those that focus on K-3 reading and mathematics, middle school issues, classroom
technology and leadership development. All public and independent colleges and universities
that offer K-12 teacher preparation programs are eligible to apply.
As the rest of the nation struggles with training K through 12 school children, said
Board of Regents member Mary Ella Sanders, We have taken an innovate step in creating these
teaching centers.
Other university receiving grants from the Regents new center are:
-- $189,691 to LSU s Preservice Elementary Teacher Education Program. LSU will
form teams consisting of LSU faculty, East Baton Rouge parish elementary school teachers and
pre-service elementary teacher education students to develop technology-based resources for use
in university preservice teacher courses and in school classrooms with special emphasis on
addressing the educational needs of at risk students.
-- $178,262 to Louisiana Tech and Grambling State University to create a joint program
to improve reading skills for school children in the Bienville Parish school district. Tech and
Grambling, along with the Bienville Parish School District, will work cooperatively to redesign
courses in elementary reading and language arts to broaden reading and literary skills for all
children, especially those at risk.
-- $199,078 to Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, working with area school districts,
for a two-year project to restructure its preservice elementary teacher education program along
national standards, especially for teachers in K-3 reading and math programs, and middle school
teachers.
-- $184,933 to Southeastern Louisiana University and the University of Southwestern
Louisiana in Lafayette, working with several school districts in their areas, to recreate course
work and actual classroom experiences for elementary education students to teach the latest
national standards in reading and mathematics. The program will use inexpensive, portable
telecommunications technologies to link preservice teachers, mentor teachers, field support staff
and university faculty.
-- $25,000 planning grant to Southern University, Baton Rouge, to establish a special unit
to promote effective, systemic reforms in preservice elementary teacher education programs in
mathematics and literacy.
-- $50,000 to the University of New Orleans, LSU in Baton Rouge and Nicholls State
University as a joint project to monitor and improve reading and mathematics scores of at-risk
children. The three university-consortium will provide teachers with technology necessary to
monitor student progress and to develop strategies for improving the progress of students who
perform below expectations.
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