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( Bluefield)—A recently-received $39,000 grant will underwrite several Bluefield Consortium of Professional Development Schools’ (PDS) initiatives that are focused upon enhancing the quality of education in the region’s public schools. The Bluefield Consortium includes Bluefield State College, Bluewell Elementary School, Bluefield Intermediate School, Princeton Primary School, and Bluefield Middle School.
Dr. Betsy Steenken, BSC Teacher Education Program Director and the Consortium’s Project Director, explained that the grant resulted from a State Department of Education initiative underwritten by the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation and West Virginia Legislature-dedicated funds. “This year’s grant has enabled the creation of $4,000 mini-grants for at-risk learners, action research, and technology,” she said.
Additionally, the grant will permit Consortium members to attend the national PDS conference, create a website, publish monthly newsletters, and produce a PDS brochure and handbook. “The goals and projects of the Consortium focus upon enhancing the preparation of teacher education candidates for the profession of teaching, strengthening instructional services to public school students, and providing collaborative professional development activities for teacher education candidates, public school teachers, and college faculty,” Steenken added.
The relationship among Consortium members is symbiotic, according to Steenken. “For example, when we present workshops and seminars at Bluefield State College, we include our PDS partners. Also, our teacher education candidates benefit from their field experiences with effective, enthusiastic public school teachers, and the feedback we obtain from our public school partners is used to improve our teacher education program,” she summarized.
October 20, 2006
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