NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The College of New Rochelle (CNR) has been awarded a $2.7 million National Professional Development grant from the U.S. Department of Education to fund a program to address the critical need for advanced education for teachers of English language learners (ELL) through graduate-level teacher certificate programs. The program, Rigor for the Education of Successful ELLs through their Teachers (RESET), is scheduled to open to students for the spring 2017 semester. CNR is the only private college in New York State to receive federal funding for their program.
Through the RESET program, The College of New Rochelle will partner with educational agencies and school districts that have significant numbers of English language learning students and limited numbers of skilled faculty to serve them. The program is expected to provide full tuition funding for approximately 50 graduate students annually for the next five years, totaling more than 250 graduate students.
“School districts throughout the country are struggling to meet the growing need for certified teachers of English language learners, a need that is particularly acute in the New York area,” said Dr. David Donnelly, dean of the Graduate School at CNR. “RESET will create pathways for teachers in New York State to advance best practices in educating English language learners and is reflective of The College of New Rochelle’s overall commitment to provide innovative educational programming that is responsive to the changing needs of our region. We are pleased to take the lead in providing much needed professional development to area educators so that they, in turn, are able to effectively serve these students.”
The College of New Rochelle has already signed partnership agreements with Southern Westchester Board of Cooperative Educational Services (SWBOCES), the Ossining School District, and Yonkers Public Schools, which is the fifth largest school district in the state. The program will also serve teachers in additional districts in need of this training.
“This is a major initiative to meet the growing demand for teachers who are certified to educate English language learners in the region,” said RESET Program Director Dr. Estee Lopez, CNR’s Director for the Center for Teaching and Learning and Leadership and instructor in the Educational Leadership program. “Our goal is to build a greater capacity of skilled educators in the school system,” Lopez said. “It is an ambitious grant and one that is extraordinarily needed.”
The receipt of this grant brings the total in federal and state grants awarded to The College of New Rochelle during the last two years to over $20 million.
For more information about the RESET program, call 914-654-5412.
