Teachers, Principals Attend Kickoff Event
(Verona, NY – Oct. 2014) When teachers and principals from the region arrived in the Rossetti Courtyard recently, they may have mistaken their scheduled training session for a school pep rally. As they checked in and each received a new iPad Air, still in the box, party and beach music played on the sound system.
That was the intent of the kickoff celebration for the Strengthening Teacher and Leader Effectiveness (STLE) grant, a year-long initiative to improve classroom instruction across the region and establish career ladders for outstanding teachers and principals.
Earlier this year, Madison-Oneida BOCES and seven component districts received a $979,250 STLE grant from the State Education Department. Sixteen principals and 65 teachers from seven area school districts – Canastota, Hamilton, Madison, Morrisville-Eaton, Oneida, Stockbridge Valley and Vernon-Verona-Sherrill – are participating.
The grant-funded efforts, which will continue through June, will include: high-quality intensive professional development from national experts in teaching, academic content and school leadership; creating model classrooms and documenting best practices to share with colleagues across the region; and mentoring other teachers and principals.
During the kickoff celebration, STLE Level 1 teachers and principals were welcomed to the program by MOBOCES Staff and Curriculum Development leaders, who are coordinating the regional grant efforts. They received an overview of their roles and responsibilities, an introduction to professional learning communities, a list of upcoming trainings and workshops, and a chance to network with other Level 1 teachers and principals.
During the kickoff, Kristina Donley of the Mohawk Regional Information Center’s Model Schools Team gave a basic overview of an iPad, including using some of the pre-installed apps and acquiring new ones with an App Store gift card participants received through the grant. They’ll use the iPads to infuse creativity and technology into their classrooms and curriculum and to help students discover new ways to think and learn.
The first round of STLE-sponsored workshops will be held from Sept. 22-26 on Singapore Math Strategies, and sessions will be divided by grade level so the content is most relevant to their daily work.
The grant has a particular focus on math. In addition to bringing in several national math instruction experts, MOBOCES has hired Jody Popple as a Math Instructional Specialist to provide on-site and in-district professional development in support of Common Core math standards and best practices. Popple was an elementary school teacher in Canastota and was one of the region’s Teacher Ambassadors for math, working alongside the Staff Development team to offer regional Common Core trainings.