News Release
September 22, 2006
Citigroup Foundation grant targets new teacher support in Santa Barbara County
To support Santa Barbara County’s new teacher initiatives and to encourage more new teachers to stay in the profession longer, the Citigroup Foundation and Teachers Network have partnered with the Santa Barbara County Education Office on a New Teacher Resource Program.
The Citigroup Foundation is the pioneering and sole corporate sponsor of the program in California, having awarded an overall grant of $250,000 this year, in addition to major support over the past two years, which is directly benefiting six educational entities throughout the state. Since January 2005, the Citigroup Foundation has awarded more than $2.3 million in grants to support education programs in California.
“We are extremely grateful to the Citigroup Foundation for providing the funding that has enabled us to support new teachers in those critical first two years,” said Santa Barbara County Superintendent of Schools Bill Cirone, who chairs the board of Teachers Network.
“We know that we lose a lot of talented, capable individuals in those first few years if we do not give them support like the kind they receive through BTSA [Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment Program] Induction Programs. The resource materials made possible by the Citigroup Foundation make a real difference,” he said.
Through the New Teacher Resource Program, new teachers throughout Santa Barbara County receive excellent support materials, including a New Teachers Handbook, a two CD-ROM set of Successful Teaching Practices in Action, and access to New Teacher Online Survival Courses that are aligned with topics covered in the handbook. At the beginning of the school year, all participating teachers in Santa Barbara County attend an orientation seminar where these materials are distributed.
Dr. Lynnette Cavazos, director of the Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment Program (BTSA) run through the Santa Barbara County Education Office, coordinates the program in California. During the 2006-2007 school year, the program will support nearly 2,000 teachers in: the Santa Barbara County Education Office, San Francisco Unified, Compton Unified, Los Angeles County Office of Education, Norwalk-La Mirada Unified, and Sacramento City Unified.
“Retaining top-notch teachers is a critical issue facing many California school systems,” said Lora Bermani, San Francisco Regional Manager for Citibank, a member of Citigroup. “We believe supporting the development of new teachers on the job is a smart investment that will result in higher teacher retention rates and improved student achievement. This collaboration between the Citigroup Foundation, Teachers Network, and the San Francisco Unified School District will provide new teachers with the resources and encouragement they need to be successful in the classroom.”
As an integral part of the New Teacher Resource Program, new teachers have access to seven online courses essential to their success: Classroom Management; Aligning Standards, Curriculum & Assessment; Strategic Planning; Families as Partners; Teaching Methods; Adolescent Literacy; and, Teaching Strategies for English Language Learners. Courses are conveniently available from either a teacher’s home or school computer. Access to these courses—along with the complementary CD-ROM set of videos and the New Teachers Handbook—are all provided to teachers as part of the Citigroup Foundation grant.
“The resources available through the New Teacher Resource Program—provided through the Citigroup Foundation—were incredibly helpful tools that really helped me in my day-to-day work with students in the classroom,” shares one of the many teachers participating in this groundbreaking program in California. “For example, I am so thankful for the suggestions on classroom management and how to work with parents—as well as for the wide variety of teaching strategies that the Handbook, CD-ROMS, and online courses have provided me. This kind of support keeps me motivated and eager to keep teaching.”
The Santa Barbara County BTSA Induction Program currently serves approximately 300 new teachers as well as experienced teachers who serve as support providers. Dr. Cavazos explains that the aim of the Santa Barbara program—as the other five New Teacher Resource Programs supported by the Citigroup Foundation in California this year—is “to develop caring, competent, and qualified teachers for every student attending school.”
The goals of the BTSA induction program include ensuring professional success; providing an effective transition into a career in education; improving the educational performance of students; ensuring that an individual induction plan for each participating teacher is based on on-going observation and reflection; ensuring that a support provider gives intensive individualized support; improving the rigor and consistency of performance assessments and the usefulness of those assessments to teachers and decision-makers; and examining alternative ways through which the public and educational professionals can be assured that new teachers who remain in the field have attained acceptable levels of professional competence.
About Teachers Network
Teachers Network is a non-profit organization–by teachers, for teachers–with a 25-year track record of success, dedicated to improving student learning in public schools. Using the power of our award-winning website, video, and print resources, we leverage the creativity and expertise of a national and international community of outstanding educators. Teachers Network is unique in its focus on the teacher as key to improving student achievement in public schools. Through its leadership, Teachers Network empowers teachers to transform public schools into creative learning communities so every student will succeed and contribute to the public good. Over the years, we have directly impacted over 1.5 million teachers and nearly 40 million students. For more information about Teachers Network, see www.teachersnetwork.org.
About Citigroup and the Citigroup Foundation
Citigroup (NYSE: C), the leading global financial services company, has some 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 100 countries, providing consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, and wealth management. Major brand names under Citigroup’s trademark red umbrella include Citibank, CitiFinancial, Primerica, Smith Barney and Banamex. The Citigroup Foundation focuses its grants primarily in three areas: building communities and entrepreneurs, financial education, and educating the next generation. Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com.