Project Goals

The Project REAL partners will develop a comprehensive and mutually beneficial partnership that focuses on dramatically improving student performance and enhancing the quality of educators from pre-school through graduate study in the four professional development schools.

Eight needs have been identified by the Project REAL partners.

  1. Improve P-12 (pre-school through high school) performance in core academic subjects, and particularly in reading and literacy skills and mathematics, by improving teaching and the instructional environments in local schools.
  2. Expose teacher preparation candidates to extended experiences in diverse schools to better prepare them to work in urban and high need settings and with diverse populations.
  3. Enhance teacher and faculty expertise in content area knowledge and the use of technology through collaborative preparation and professional development programs.
  4. Attract traditionally underrepresented groups into teaching in high demand areas by developing a local teacher recruitment pipeline and support project.
  5. Increase retention in the teaching profession with mentoring and induction programs by enhancing the master teacher career path.
  6. Develop local leadership capacity by preparing instructional leaders to meet the challenges of high need schools.
  7. More fully integrate teacher preparation programs across Liberal Arts and Sciences, Education, and other content preparation areas to better prepare teachers in the content areas.
  8. Collaborate better with community colleges and local districts to develop and deliver educator preparation and professional development programs at the local school site.