Consortium to Lead Research Relative to Teacher Preparation in Louisiana
BATON ROUGE, La. - The Louisiana Department of Education is seeking applications from Louisiana institutions of higher education that are interested in serving as the housing institution for the Louisiana Educator Research Consortium. The Louisiana Educator Research Consortium will consist of teacher preparation providers from across the state that are interested in conducting research relative to educator preparation. The housing institution will organize research, seek and receive grant funding, and inform educator preparation policy matters.
"The Louisiana Educator Research Consortium is designed to build on the strong foundation laid by the state's nationally recognized
Believe and Prepare educator preparation program," said State Superintendent John White. "The consortium will convene experts from around the state to conduct important research around how teachers are prepared and to make recommendations to ensure all new educators not only receive hands-on training, but enter their classrooms truly prepared to teach all students."
The Louisiana Educator Research Consortium will receive start-up funds of $50,000 and will conduct research relative to teacher preparation. The consortium will also advise on the Louisiana Teacher Preparation Quality Rating System, which provides preparation providers with meaningful information for improvement, as required by federal regulations.
The consortium will be housed at a Louisiana-based institute of higher education. That institution will selected by a steering committee that consists of representatives from the Department, the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE), the Louisiana Board of Regents, and the Louisiana Association for Career and Technical Education. The consortium will also include an advisory board of three to five members, including but not limited to representatives from two of Louisiana's university systems and a non-university teacher preparation provider.
The selected institution will house the consortium for a period of five years. In its first year, in 2017-2018, the selected institution will be charged with:
- Establishing the process whereby the advisory board and member institutions are chosen, and choosing the board and member institutions;
- Setting the research agenda for 2018-2019, in consultation with the steering committee and the advisory board; and
- Organizing at least two meetings by April 2018 during which the advisory board will provide feedback on proposals relative to the Louisiana Teacher Preparation Quality Rating System.
The deadline to submit applications is November 17, 2017, at 5 p.m. The institution selected to house the consortium will be notified by November 24, 2017, and the award allocations will be sent to BESE for final approval at its January meeting.
To learn more about teacher preparation in Louisiana, click here.
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