Delaware State University News September 2013 DSU's Education Department Receives $125,000 Grant Delaware State University's Education Department has received a $125,000 grant from the Delaware Department of Education to improve its teacher preparedness program and meet the state's expectations. In accordance with the Obama Administration's Race to the Top initiative, Delaware has agreed to link student achievement and student growth data to the students' teachers and principals, and to link this information to the Delaware programs where teachers and principals are prepared for credentialing. The state also plans to expand teacher preparation programs that are proven to be successful at producing effective teachers and principals. DSU's Education Department plans to use the grant to: * Improve freshmen retention and identify building initiatives by initiating a Praxis Boot Camp and implementing a tutoring requirement. * Restructure residency and clinical programs as well as first-year experiences. * Forge a stronger relationship with the state Department of Education. * Draw on outside expertise for program building. * Hire a grant administrator that will oversee the implementation on a daily basis and serve as the point of contact with the state Department of Education. Dr. Rayton Sianjina, chair of the DSU Education Department and director of the Education Graduate Program, said the purpose of the grant reflects the Education Department's commitment to the continuous positive changes and challenges that teacher education programs are faced with nationwide. He said the grant also allows collaborative functional partnership with the State Department of Education during this dynamic time filled with accountability for any teacher education program. "It is a major effort by the Education Department to comprehensively respond to the newly signed Delaware Senate Bill 51 as well as a response to the National Common Core Standards in order to strengthen our students' performance on the Praxis examination so that they become highly qualified teachers," Dr. Sianjina said. "We want to make sure that our students are sought after in a competitive global market." SANDRA M. PHOENIX Executive Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 800-999-8558, ext. 4820 404-702-5854 Skype: sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree NW Suite 200 Atlanta,GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (LYRASIS) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children.