Georgia joins teacher initiative
ATLANTA - Georgia will join a national initiative to better prepare teachers in certain in-demand subject areas, Gov. Nathan Deal announced Monday.
Five Georgia colleges and universities have been selected as launch sites for the Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowship Program. The fellowship is meant to better prepare and bolster the number of teachers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math, known as STEM.
"STEM education plays a critical role in our state's competitiveness and future economic prosperity," Deal said in a news release. "The most important thing we can do for our students in this field is ensure they have effective teachers."
Columbus State University, Georgia State University, Kennesaw State University, Mercer University and Piedmont College will participate in the program, Deal said. The schools will develop a master's level teacher preparation program and offer fellows a yearlong training session at local schools. Participating institutions will be given $400,000 matching grants to develop their programs, Deal said.
Each school participating in the program will enroll 12 fellows per year over a three-year period. Fellows will receive $30,000 stipends and will commit to teaching in high-need urban or rural Georgia schools for three years, Deal said.
"Study after study shows that teachers are the single most important in-school factor in improving student achievement," Arthur Levine, president of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, said in a release. "Yet urban and rural schools consistently struggle to attract and retain strong math and science teachers -- nationally, 30 to 40 percent of all teachers leave the profession during their first three years in the classroom, and more in high-need districts."
Nearly 24 Georgia school districts are being considered as partner sites, and the foundation is looking for more partners and funders to expand the program, Deal said.
Blue Book soars in UT orange
KNOXVILLE - Tennessee is seeing an increased demand for the latest edition of the state's Blue Book, which is dedicated to former Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt and includes a special orange version.
The Blue Book, which comes out every two years, is Tennessee's definitive manual on state government.
Secretary of State Tre Hargett said the state is releasing more than 50,000 blue versions of the book and 22,000 copies in Tennessee orange. The state printed about 55,000 copies of the previous edition. Hargett said that, "frankly, I'll be surprised if in a couple of weeks you're still able to find an orange one somewhere."
At a dedication ceremony Friday, Summitt received her own orange Blue Book signed by Gov. Bill Haslam and all the state's constitutional officers and General Assembly members.