Four from School of Education awarded TeachNY Implementation Fund grants

January 25, 2019 Andrew Bruso

*From left: Michael Rosenberg, Mary Sawyer, Tom Meyer, Kiersten Greene*

The SUNY TeachNY program has awarded grant funding to three SUNY New Paltz faculty members and the dean of the School of Education to pilot new ways of enhancing teacher preparation at New Paltz, in service of the broader effort to recruit and train the next generation of New York State educators.

The TeachNY Implementation Fund has approved project proposals from School of Education Dean Michael Rosenberg, Associate Professor Tom Meyer, Associate Professor Mary Sawyer and Assistant Professor Kiersten Greene.

Rosenberg’s project is focused on enhancing classroom management skills. He will work with Assistant Dean Sunny Duerr and Associate Professor Karen Bell to develop and evaluate a multi-platform program, including a TeachLive classroom simulation, designed to give preservice teachers a set of proven tactics for managing student behavior.

Meyer and Sawyer are jointly developing a micro-credential framework for the teaching of writing, stemming from an innovative field program in which future teachers work alongside Hudson Valley Writing Project teachers in immersive, youth writing programs. The framework will be developed by a small team that includes Meyer, Sawyer, two regional HVWP teacher leaders, and a future teacher enrolled at SUNY New Paltz.

Greene’s project offers educational technology training to students and faculty in the School of Education. EdTech for Teacher Prep will provide on-demand workshops, drop-in support sessions and an online educational resource designed to help educators keep pace with the rapid advance of technology. SUNY New Paltz students, faculty and staff are invited to sign up for EdTech for Teacher Prep workshops using this link.

SUNY New Paltz was one of the initial four TeachNY participating campuses when the program launched in 2014. Then-SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher tasked an advisory council with identifying challenges and best practices for educator preparation in the state. Dean Rosenberg served on that advisory council, and Associate Dean Aaron Isabelle helped to review its findings.

In 2016, SUNY New Paltz President Donald P. Christian served on a TeachNY steering committee that developed recommendations for revising policy and implementing new programs to modernize teaching, learning and educator preparation in New York.

The TeachNY Implementation Fund rolled out in 2018, empowering real educators to fulfill the educational vision for the state that was first outlined nearly five years ago.

See the SUNY TeachNY website for additional info about its mission and history, and visit the School of Education online to learn more about SUNY New Paltz’s leadership in teacher preparation.