Calvin receives $200,000 grant to help improve language arts in local schools

Calvin's education, communication arts and sciences and English departments were recently awarded a $208,000 grant from the Michigan Department of Education. The grant-the fourth Calvin has received in the past seven years for this specific endeavor-provides language arts professional development to three area schools (Buchanan Elementary, The Potter's House and Living Stones Academy).

This year's theme is "Focus," as Calvin aims to provide professional development to these three area schools that is deep in content and rich with continuous application, feedback and support.

Megan Cooke, a 2003 Calvin education grad and a 2010 grad of the master of education program, coordinated the grant.

"The benefits of this are many," said Cooke, "but the teachers often praise the opportunity to gather regularly, receive continuous support throughout the school-year as they apply their new learning, and the relationships that are built between the teachers of the three different schools."

Earlier this month, more than 50 teachers from Buchanan Elementary, The Potter's House and Living Stones Academy came to Calvin's campus for four days of professional development. Throughout the upcoming school year, field experts from Calvin's education, communication arts and sciences and English departments will go to each of the schools to provide information, modeling and support on the topics introduced at this month's conference.

In addition, each teacher will be involved in professional learning communities in their schools, and there will be regular opportunities for teachers at same-grade levels from all three schools to meet at Calvin for further information and support regarding their application of new learning. Teachers will also sit in each other's classrooms at different times throughout the year to learn how each teacher is applying the knowledge they have learned.

For more information about the grant, contact Calvin's dean of education James Rooks at 616-526-8694.

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Received on Fri Aug 19 10:18:13 2011