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County school district gets grant The Marshall
County School District, seven other school districts and the North
Mississippi Education Consortium were awarded a $4 million grant for
administrative training to be expended over the next four years. The administrative training will be facilitated through the National Institute for School Leadership out of Washington, D.C. “Much
hard work went into securing this grant.” said Jerry Moore, deputy
superintendent of education for the Marshall County School District.
“Hats off to Dr. Susan Rucker for all of her coordination and diligence
in helping us obtain this funding. This grant will ‘free up’ earmarked
funding for administrative professional development and allow us to
expend that funding in other areas.” U.S.
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced the award of $9.2 million
for 14 awards to improve the leadership and effectiveness of current
and aspiring principals and assistant principals in high-need school
districts. Grants will be used to develop and expand innovative
programs to recruit, train, and provide professional development
opportunities for administrators. “An effective
principal or administrator is the catalyst for significant school
improvement,” Duncan said. “These grants will help school leaders hone
the wide range of skills needed to be a strong principal who can
inspire teachers and have a positive impact on instructional practices
that lead to improved learning outcomes.” The
five-year grants were awarded to six school districts, three non-profit
organizations and five universities in 12 states – California, Florida,
Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Mexico, New York,
Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. Grantees
will use funds for a variety of activities to promote effective
leadership in high-need school districts, such as stipends to
principals who mentor new principals, financial incentives to aspiring
new principals, training specific to a charter school environment, use
of school-based data to develop turnaround practices and tracking
student achievement data. More than 950
principals and aspiring principals are expected to be served by these
14 grants. An additional $20 million is being awarded this year for 29
continuation grants that began in 2008 and 2009. Funded since 2002, the
School Leadership program has helped to certify more than 1,260
principals and assistant principals, to place 633 principals and
assistant principals, and to provide professional development services
to over 5,700 participants. “We are pleased
that our administrators will have such an awesome venue for
professional growth.” Moore said. “This is a once in a lifetime
opportunity, and we look forward to taking full advantage of it
beginning this November.”
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