GSE Develops Partnership with Jamesburg School District
The Graduate School of Education (GSE) has partnered with the Public School District to offer free professional development opportunities for educators throughout the district. This partnership was developed in recognition of the strong relationship the GSE has with several administrators and faculty at the district.
Dr. Penelope Lattimer, Director of the Rutgers Institute for Improving Student Achievement (RIISA), and other members of the institute will work alongside Jamesburg faculty, providing instructional coaching and in-classroom support, throughout the 2013-2014 school year. Many topics will be addressed including English as a Second language, Language Arts Literacy, Educational Technology, and Special Education with a strong emphasis on addressing the Common Core State Standards for curriculum, instruction, and assessment. The professional development series began this past June with two half days dedicated to “Understanding Our Mission with a Clear Focus on Our Passion for Teaching and Learning.”
The district will have the opportunity to send participants to the 2013-2014 Middle Grades Network, a consortium of schools and districts that address learning and teaching issues relevant to students in 4th through 8th grade, at no cost. This year’s focus is “Building Capacity in the Time of Common Core and Teacher Evaluation.” Administrators of the district including Al Perno, principal of the John F. Kennedy Elementary School, and Wendy Sloter, vice principal of Grace M. Breckwedel Middle School, have participated in the Network in the past. Superintendent of JamesburgSchools, Gail Verona, received her doctorate in education from the GSE. She will have the opportunity to join the New Jersey School Development Council and Study Group (NJSDC), which is a network of superintendents who meet several times a year with GSE Dean, Dr. Richard De Lisi, and staff from the GSE to explore emerging issues and concerns relevant to leadership in education. Dr. John Adamus serves as liaison between GSE and NJSDC, keeping alive a 50-year affiliation between these two organizations.
In return for the services and support, several GSE students will be conducting their student teaching experiences in the Jamesburg School District. Dr. Lattimer noted, “this partnership is a great opportunity to continue the professional development of current educators at Jamesburg School District and for future educators to apply what they’ve learned at the GSE in an educational setting.”