Collaboration With the Public

1999-2000

Collaboration with Public Schools
The Curriculum & Instruction department completed the third year of the Regional Educational Technology Assistance program. Led by Dr. Carmen Gonzales, this program is sponsored by the US Department of Education and currently provides professional development statewide to over 450 teachers via workshops delivered by 40 instructors.

The department of Curriculum and Instruction continues with the New Mexico Collaborative for Excellence in Teacher Preparation (NM CETP), a program funded by the National Science Foundation. Most of the money was used to support novice teachers in the Las Cruces Public Schools and in the Gadsden Independent School District.

The department of Curriculum and Instruction is in the second of five years of the $1,600,000 MathStar project. Led by Dr. Karin Wiburg, the five year US Department of Education grant supports the redesign of middle school mathematics curriculum to make it more culturally-responsive to candidates as well as more meaningful and exciting through the use of technology.

Also under Dr. Karin Wiburg's direction is the Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers Today (PT3) grant. This federal grant for $1,200,000 over 3 years aims to improve teacher preparation by developing an innovative and restructured program in which faculty who teach future teachers and their candidates become confident in the use of technology to support candidate-centered, intellectually rich, and culturally-responsive learning communities.

Educational Management and Development implemented some new candidate programs this past academic year. The Mariposa Project from Yselta, Texas funds over 60 students to attend EMD and receive either a master's or licensure in educational administration. The work with the Yselta Independent School District has led to the creation of another cohort of over 150 master's candidates who are Reading Recovery Specialists in collaboration with Curriculum & Instruction.

The Special Education/Communication Disorders department continued creative activities in cost sharing with public schools to assist in hiring trainers for speech pathology and deaf education. During 1994-95, collaborative arrangements were made with the Albuquerque Public Schools and the Las Cruces Public Schools to assist in the support of an additional faculty position to aid in the preparation of a speech pathologists. The Gadsden Public Schools joined this collaboration in 1996. In total, the SPED/CD department has contracts with five school districts. Funding from these districts has helped the University to support one associate professor and to hire two instructors and two clinical supervisors to assist CD faculty. (Funds from these districts presently exceed $180,000.) In return, the Special Education/ Communication Disorders department grants students from the five districts special opportunities to enroll in the CD program.

The Department of Human Performance, Dance and Recreation helped promote physical education in schools around the state. For example, candidates and staff in the Athletic Training Education Program collaborated with local school districts and provided sports medicine aid for high school athletes.

2000-2001

Collaboration With Other Academic Colleges

In the past we have discussed the possibility of offering dual degrees with various other colleges within the university. This has not proven feasible because of the number of credit hours that would be necessary for the candidates to complete. We have, however, in conjunction with the colleges of Engineering and Arts & Sciences, developed a hybrid program that allows candidates in certain disciplines who are interested in becoming teachers to complete the requirements for secondary licensure (and potentially a masters degree) within one year of completing their baccalaureate studies. This hybrid program calls for the candidates to complete six education courses as electives within their regular program and then upon acceptance to the graduate school complete six more courses, including candidate teaching. Although a new program, we have already received considerable response and have several candidates participating.