The U.S. Department of Education has awarded $949,430 to California State University, Dominguez Hills–the first-year allotment of a five-year, $5.09 million Transition to Teaching (TTT) grant–to create an online credential program for math and science teachers throughout southern and central California.
The university’s proposal was one of only 30 funded nationwide, and one of only five in California. This is the fifth such award to be granted to the university, making CSU Dominguez Hills the only institution of higher education to receive five grants from the U.S. Department of Education TTT program over the past 10 years.
The grant will fund the creation of a new online single-subject credential program for recent graduates or mid-career professionals in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields. The purpose of the program will be to recruit individuals with a strong STEM background and place them in schools with a high need for qualified math and science teachers. Through the grant, CSU Dominguez Hills is partnering with the CSU initiative CalstateTEACH, school districts in Kings, Merced and Tulare counties, and schools in the Imperial Valley and Los Angeles Unified School District’s sixth, seventh and eighth districts.
“As a leader in teacher education, CSU Dominguez Hills is proud to be the only campus in the nation to receive five different TTT awards since 2001,” said University President Mildred García. “This grant will allow CSU Dominguez Hills to extend our commitment to our community and the state by supporting the recruitment and retention of highly qualified mid-career professionals and recent graduates, who mirror the diversity of California school children.
CSU Dominguez Hills has credentialed more STEM teachers in the past six years than any other campus in the CSU system. Since 2003, the university has prepared more than 800 individuals for their teaching credential in these crucial fields, many of whom were part of the existing TTT grant programs on campus.
To read more about how past TTT grants have helped place teachers in the classroom, often in schools they once attended, visit www.csudhnews.com/2011/10/transition-to-teaching-award/.
