Tennessee officials offer $100K teacher program grants – From the Associated Press
Tennessee education officials are offering 20 grants of $100,000 apiece to form or expand programs that help train new teachers at no cost to them.
The state Department of Education says the $2 million in Grow Your Own grants fund partnerships between educator preparation providers and school districts.
The expansion builds upon current Grown Your Own programs at Grow Your Own partnerships at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Austin Peay State University and Lipscomb University.
The organizations arrange a paid education assistant position, a teacher mentor, and a paid multiyear residency for bachelor’s degree programs or one-year residency for advanced-level programs.
Tuition, textbooks, and fees are covered for all selected participants.
The department will accept grant applications through Sept. 2. The money is available through the federal coronavirus stimulus package.
Adapting CTE programs to remote environments could expand access beyond COVID-19 – By Shawna De La Rosa, Education Dive
Though teaching career and technical education courses online or in a hybrid setting is challenging, adapting to this new reality may have long-term benefits for CTE students, according to EdTech: Focus on K-12.
Transitioning hands-on lessons online will make CTE more flexible and accessible for students, allowing them to access lessons anytime and anywhere with a Wi-Fi connection. It also teaches students 21st century digital skills needed for a mobile workforce, and is a cost-effective option for cash-strapped districts.
Educators are using videoconferencing, video chats, at-home project assignments and virtual reality lab simulation tools to deliver content during distance learning. They can also use online platforms such as IBM’s Open P-TECH, a digital education platform that trains students in skills-based fields such as artificial intelligence and cloud computing.
Gov. Whitmer calls on all state universities to have students stay home – By Ronnie Das and Tim Skubick, WLNS
Governor Gretchen Whitmer is calling on all state universities to follow the lead of Michigan State University and keep students at home instead of returning to campus this fall.
The governor is not ordering that move but she believes it is the right thing to do.
“I was pleased to see that Dr. Stanley made that policy decision at MSU,” said Whitmer.
MSU President Dr. Samuel Stanley wants his students to stay away from the campus this fall.
President Stanley and Governor Whitmer know that college students love to congregate and as history has shown, the virus loves it too.
And while the number of positive cases have leveled off and hospitalizations are not off the charts.
“There were 99 outbreaks of the disease and health officials worry that community spread is alive and well,” said Chief Medical Officer Dr. Joneigh Khaldun of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. “There are still outbreaks and there’s disease spread across the state and we’re still seeing it in every region.”
Governor Gretchen Whitmer
Extra Tuition-Free Time on Campus – By Emma Whitford, Inside Higher Ed
Less than a month away from the start of the fall semester, colleges continue to announce tuition deals and discounts to ensure student retention, encourage degree completion and ward off deferrals.
This week, St. Norbert College and Pacific Lutheran University announced tuition-free semesters and yearlong programs for returning and newly admitted students.
St. Norbert, a small liberal arts college in De Pere, Wis., unveiled its Ninth-Semester-Free Promise program on Monday, which would pay tuition for eligible students to finish their degree in their ninth semester. Eligible students must have completed eight semesters of undergraduate education, at St. Norbert or elsewhere, and must be enrolled in and successfully complete at least 12 credits each semester during the 2020-21 academic year.
The program aims to encourage students to continue their education through the upcoming academic year, said St. Norbert president Brian Bruess. The college also hopes that the program will keep participating students on track to graduate in nine semesters.
