INFORMATIONAL

TO:

Division Superintendents

FROM:

Jo Lynne DeMary

Superintendent of Public Instruction

SUBJECT:

Interest Survey to Participate in the Governors Education for a Lifetime Teacher Retention and Support Initiatives

In the fall of 2003 Governor Warner launched his initiative entitled Education for a Lifetime (http://www.governor.virginia.gov/Initiatives/Ed4Life/index.htm),

which includes several components. One focus of the broad initiative is Teacher Retention and Support. In this component, the Governor proposed several ways to retain teachers who are new to the profession and to support hard-to-staff and consistently low-performing schools in filling their teaching vacancies and improving student achievement.

Two of the elements, the Virginia Middle School Teacher Corps and the Turnaround Specialist Program, offer opportunities and incentives for experienced educators to receive additional training to share their expertise in challenging educational environments.

(1) The Virginia Middle School Teacher Corps will provide the structure and incentives to place up to 70 experienced mathematics teachers in middle schools that have been designated as "at risk" in mathematics for a period of up to three years.

(2) Up to 10 school administrators will be trained to earn a credential as a Turnaround Specialist. Beginning in 2004-2005, each turnaround specialist will enter a consistently low-performing school as its principal for a minimum of three years.

Further information about the Governors Teacher Retention and Support initiative is available on the Internet at: http://www.governor.virginia.gov/Initiatives/Ed4Life/TeacherRetention.htm.

Attachment A to this memorandum contains an interest survey for individuals who wish to receive additional information about these programs once more details are available.

If you have questions about the Governors Teacher Retention and Support initiative, please contact Dr. Linda Wallinger, acting director, Office of Program Administration and Accountability, at (804) 225-2869, or by e-mail at lwalling@mail.vak12ed.edu.

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