An $8.6 million Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP) Grant was awarded to Cal Poly and its partner campus, CSU Monterey Bay, to recruit, train and support new teachers over the next five years. The award is the culmination of the grant competition that President Obama announced in May at the White House Science Fair. For the first time, this year's TQP competition focused on preparing STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) teachers and increasing the participation of underrepresented populations — women, minorities and people with disabilities in teaching STEM subjects.
Funds from the grant will support five main objectives at Cal Poly:
- improving teacher credential programs
- recruiting more teachers, with an emphasis on STEM fields
- advancing co-teaching
- building partnerships between Monterey and Santa Maria, focusing on high-need rural areas
- providing professional development for the local education community with an emphasis on newly adopted Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards
Local school districts partnering with Cal Poly on this grant include Santa Maria Bonita, Santa Maria Joint Union and San Miguel.
