A r c h i v e d I n f o r m a t i o n

Biennial Evaluation Report - FY 93-94

Chapter 622

Mid-Career Teacher Training Program

(CFDA No. 84.232A)

I. Program Profile

Legislation: Higher Education Act of 1965, Title V, Part A, as amended by P.L. 99-498, (20 U.S.C. 1103-1103d.) (expired September 30, 1992). The program was not reauthorized in the Higher Education Amendments of 1992.

Purpose: To encourage institutions of higher education to establish and maintain programs that will provide teacher training to individuals who are moving to a career in education from another occupation.

Funding History:

Fiscal Year	Appropriation
1990	$987,000
1991	$987,000

II. Program Information and Analysis

Population Targeting

Institutions of higher education with schools or departments of education were eligible to apply to the program. Applicants had to develop their mid-career teacher training programs with the cooperation and assistance of the local business community and under cooperative agreement with one or more State or local education agencies. The military, private foundations, social service agencies, and other community representatives were also frequently involved in projects. The projects provided teacher training and certification to individuals moving from other occupations into teaching careers. The projects emphasized recruiting minorities into teaching, serving at-risk children, and meeting crucial shortages in teacher supply.

Services

The Education Department awarded 10 grants under this program in FY 1990 and 10 more in FY 1991. Each of the grants was for 2 years in length and each of the 10 U.S. Department of Education geographic regions was represented by at least one project. Several projects requested an extension, and thus two projects did not expect to complete their programs until the summer of 1994.

All of the projects were intended to reduce financial and duplicative coursework barriers to teacher training and certification. The training offered in the grantees' projects ranged from 6 to 24 months and included mentoring by expert teachers and on-the-job instruction leading to teacher certification and, in some cases, a master's degree. The projects differed in their curricula and subject matter areas, but emphasis was on teaching in geographic or subject areas in which shortages existed. These areas included inner-city schools, schools in remote rural areas, secondary math and science, early childhood education, special education, and the education of limited-English-proficient students.

Program Administration

Applications were approved by the Assistant Secretary for Educational Research and Improvement after review by external peer experts and Departmental staff. The criteria to be used in selecting projects were published in the Federal Register.

Management Improvement Strategies

Education Department staff provided technical assistance to the projects to help them develop final reports that would document the activities and outcomes of their programs. Data collected from these reports were to be used by the individual projects to improve their programs. In late 1994, the data were being synthesized by Department of Education staff for policymakers and practitioners around the Nation.

III. Sources of Information

Program files.
A summary report on "lessons learned" was in production in late 1994.

IV. Planned Studies

Approximately 500 teachers were certified through projects funded by this program; the majority have been certified in critical shortage areas. At the end of 2 years, all grantees were required to write a final report which summarized their program's operations, strengths, weaknesses, and outcomes. The first round of reports were due in September of 1992.

In addition, the Education Department and representatives of the 20 projects are designing an evaluation report which will synthesize project activities, outcomes, and "lessons learned" from all of the projects. The evaluation report for all of the projects was being written in late 1994 after program operations ended and projects submitted their final reports. (Three projects requested extensions, so all of the reports were not completed until the summer of 1994.)

V. Contacts for Further Information

Program Operations:: Joseph Vaughan (202) 219-2193
Program Studies:: Elizabeth Eisner (202) 401-0182

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