The University of Memphis College of Education will be receiving a grant by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to improve its teacher preparatory program.
The charity organization, which is based in Seattle, will give $34.7 million over three years to five Teacher Preparation Transformation Centers, meant to connect higher education institutions, preparation providers, and K-12 school systems in order to improve the education sector.
The University-School Partnerships for the Renewal of Educator Preparation (U.S. PREP) consortium is the official recipient of the grant, in which the University of Memphis is a partner university. The consortium is led by Texas Tech University and includes Southern Methodist University, the University of Houston, Southeastern Louisiana University, and Jackson State University.
“The partnership enables the U of M to collaborate with universities implementing similar changes,” said Dr. Ernest Rakow, interim dean of the College of Education. “The U.S. PREP coalition offers both a system of support and a space to learn from each other as we all strive to enhance our pre-service teacher education programs and prepare teachers who are culturally relevant, classroom-ready, and prepared to work in the communities the University serves and beyond.”
The University of Memphis will receive about $600,000 over three years.