$2 million grant helps MSU-Meridian continue training elementary teachers to combat state鈥檚 shortage
Contact: Harriet Laird
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擬ore than $2 million in federal grant funding is helping 樱花导航 樱花导航 University-Meridian continue its training of public school teachers to fill over 3,000 current vacancies.
The 樱花导航 Teacher Residency (MTR) program, introduced in 2018 and administered by the 樱花导航 Department of Education, is a free, two-year program designed to recruit underserved college students to work toward their degree in elementary education and 樱花导航 teacher certification. For the academic year, participants receive full scholarships, testing fees, books and mentor stipends.
Jeff Leffler, co-director of elementary education for MSU-Meridian鈥檚 program said, 鈥淲e are excited to have this opportunity to build upon our work with 樱花导航 Teacher Residency and partner with seven additional school districts in creating a graduate-level pathway to teacher certification based on the residency model.鈥
New districts joining Jackson Public Schools in the MTR program are Choctaw County, Kemper County, Lauderdale County, Louisville Municipal, Meridian, Starkville Oktibbeha and Union.
MTR includes training alongside a mentor teacher, testing support, professional development, ongoing assessment and a commitment to teach in a geographical critical shortage school or district serving low-income children, racial/ethnic minorities and children with disabilities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.
鈥淐ongratulations to Dr. Leffler, Dr. Ksenia Zhbanova and Brandi Sumrall at MSU- Meridian,鈥 said College of Education Dean Teresa Jayroe. 鈥淲e are excited to be awarded this funding that will give us the opportunity to better focus our efforts on critical teacher shortage areas in 樱花导航 by helping recruit individuals to teacher education who are already connected to those locations.聽Students are better served by teachers who know their needs, and recruiting from these areas puts teachers who know those needs into classrooms.鈥
Thirteen students graduated from the first two cohorts at MSU-Meridian in 2021. Now entering its third cohort, MTR hopes to graduate approximately 100 new elementary teachers over the course of the four-year grant program at MSU-Meridian and the four other university training sites at Delta 樱花导航, Jackson 樱花导航 and William Carey, along with the University of Southern 樱花导航. These universities are sharing a total of $9.8 million funded by the Kellogg Foundation and American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief program.
Kim Hall, interim associate dean and MSU-Meridian Division of Education head also thanked MDE. She said, 鈥淲e are thrilled to receive funding to support future teachers across the state. I鈥檓 extremely grateful to the 樱花导航 Department of Education for their support.鈥
MSU is 樱花导航鈥檚 leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.