Broward College Awarded $2.5 Million Grant to Meet Local Demand for STEM Teachers

The College will use the funding to train 100 Broward County Public Schools STEM teachers

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL (June 13, 2019) – Broward College is the recipient of the U.S. Department of Education's prestigious Teacher Quality Partnership grant, which will provide the College with $2.5 million in funding over the next five years. The College's Teacher Education department will use the grant to establish a new program, in collaboration with Broward County Public Schools (BCPS), called the Teacher Preparation through Real-World Experience and Practice (T-PREP).

The purpose of the T-PREP program is to address the critical need for certified STEM teachers in the BCPS district, which is the sixth largest school district in the United States. BCPS estimates needing approximately 50 Math, Science, and Computer Science/Information Technology teachers each year.

The T-PREP program will target 25 teacher candidates per year focusing on Math, Science, Exceptional Student Education (ESE), and Computer Science (Computer Science/Business Ed/Tech Ed certification) for a total of 100 new highly qualified teachers. On a parallel path, the program will also train and support a cohort of 25 existing BCPS teachers to serve as mentors for the students. The mentors will be paired with the T-PREP students during a semester-long undergraduate residency and utilize a co-teaching model for the student teachers to garner hands-on experience. Following their residency, the student teachers will transition into full-time employment at their corresponding school.

"At Broward College, we have recognized the need and potential to combat this shortage in our local education system," said Dr. Marielena DeSanctis, provost and senior vice president of Academic Affairs and Student Services. "As a former math and science teacher in Broward County, the receipt of this grant is particularly meaningful to me. The targeted training and mentorship components of this grant will not only serve to increase the numbers of STEM and ESE teachers but more importantly, serve to support new teachers in these critical areas to achieve student learning gains in this field. We are honored to receive this grant, which provides an opportunity to establish a new pathway to success for our students and the students of BCPS."

As Broward College's partner, BCPS will also receive approximately $500,000 in funding that will go toward the training and compensation of T-PREP's mentor teachers.

"We share a commitment with Broward College to expand and provide opportunities for our students to benefit from a high-quality education," said Broward County Public Schools Superintendent Robert W. Runcie. "We are pleased to partner in this initiative to empower students with critical STEM skills and ignite their enthusiasm for future STEM careers. Funding for this program will ensure we have a skilled pipeline of science, technology, engineering, and math teachers in our schools."