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Brenau University School of Education
faculty members Assistant Professor of Education Rebecca Penwell, Ph.D.,
and Assistant Professor of Education Scott Gostchock, ED.d., have teamed
up with Fair Street Elementary School's Principal Marianne Dyer, Ph.D.,
and Math Literacy Coach and Professional Development School Director Kim
Davis, Ed.S., on designing a teacher quality project, receiving a grant
from the "No Child Left Behind," "Title II Part A: Improving Teacher
Quality Higher Education" with counteracting current education legislation
drawbacks in mind. The $27,000 grant will go a long way in supporting
"Project Integration: Integration Today for a Better Tomorrow" spearheaded
by Penwell, to fill the gap for teachers overwhelmed and pressurized by
legislation requirements to focus their classroom efforts on language arts
and mathematics to prepare students for standardized testing, leaving them
struggling to bone up on neglected areas of essential education -
including science and social studies. Gainesville City School teachers
will be invited to campus for a free, for-credit course, offered by Brenau
starting June. The course teaches the teacher to integrate science and
social studies with mathematics and language arts content (MSSL). The
course provides participants with skills needed to prepare their own
curriculum - creating units that seamlessly merge MSSL and technology and
which are founded on sound, current research. |
 From Left:
Rebecca Penwell, Marianne Dyer, Scott Gostchock and Kim Davis, a team that
provides answers to teachers' problems. |
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"The education faculty is extremely excited about this
grant because it offers us a tremendous opportunity to work with our
colleagues from the Gainesville City Schools for the benefit of boys and
girls in our community," Penwell said. "Brenau faculty looks forward to
this project and hopefully other such opportunities in the future."
Addressing the needs of students with disabilities and from diverse
cultures, Project Integration is geared toward the high number of at-risk
students populating elementary schools in Gainesville Ga., Penwell said.
"Offering 24 direct contact hours and unlimited online access to faculty
and classmates from June to March, 2006, the participants also receive a
$200 stipend to help defray attendance costs," she said. |
