Published: November 30, 2008 11:43 pm      

Grant will aid professional development

Morehead — The Morehead State University College of Education has received funding for a program to boost academic achievement through professional development.

The $280,000 grant will fund professional development initiatives.

The Improving Educator Quality grant program focuses on increasing the academic achievement of all students through professional development to ensure kindergarten through 12th-grade teachers and administrators are highly qualified.

Previously called the Eisenhower Professional Development Program for Math and Science, the IEQ grant program is supported by federal funds authorized by Title II, Part A of the No Child Left Behind Act. The grant was awarded through the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education. Other partners include the U.S. Department of Education and Kentucky Department of Education.

The two-year grant will be administered by MSU’s 21st Century Education Enterprise.

The MSU board of regents in September authorized the creation of the new nonprofit corporation to promote community engagement partnerships, professional development and classroom technology innovations. The program has hosted workshops for more than 250 teachers and administrators from Boyd, Bath, Fleming, Floyd, Johnson, Lewis, Magoffin, Martin, Menifee, Montgomery, Morgan, Owsley and Rowan counties.

The 21st Century Education Enterprise operates primarily from MSU’s Regional Enterprise Center in West Liberty.

“The successful proposal was a collaborative effort by (director Krista Pack) Barton and faculty and staff from the College of Education, Institute for Regional Analysis and Public Policy and Research and Sponsored Programs,” said Cathy Gunn, dean of MSU's College of Education.

“This is MSU’s second IEQ grant but the first multiyear-funded IEQ proposal that will boost the university’s ability to impact the quality of the teachers in the K-12 classrooms,” Barton said. “Teachers in our service region and faculty at the university have been very receptive to our 21st century initiatives.”