The school divisions are Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford and Campbell counties, and the city of Lynchburg.
"This grant from SCHEV will enable the College to support our five partner school divisions in addressing critical needs related to teaching students with autism, providing advanced preparation for principals, promoting effective reading instruction, and assisting special educators in becoming highly qualified to work with students with disabilities," said Ed Polloway, vice president for community advancement and the Rosel H. Schewel Distinguished Professor in Education and Human Development.
"In addition, it will enable our region to develop an innovative program to encourage secondary school students to consider a career in education and thus help us respond to the emerging shortage of teachers."
The first focus will be the training of teachers to work with students with autism spectrum disorders. LC will begin offering four graduate courses on autism in June. These programs are also available as a certificate-only program for special education teachers.
A second component will help develop on-line training for special education teachers in language arts, social studies, science, and mathematics. These institutes will enable teachers to become highly qualified as defined by the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
The grant also includes funding for a two-day workshop for 50 local school division administrators that will provide three hours of graduate credit with follow-up activities and projects at their own schools.
A fourth initiative will focus on training a cadre of teachers in the Lynchburg area in advanced strategies for reading instruction. Two graduate-level reading courses can apply toward license renewal.
The fifth focus is on the creation of a regional "grow your own teacher" initiative to encourage high school students to teach in the Central Virginia area.
For more information, contact Shannon Brennan at 434/544-8609.