TEACHER CENTERS AND FEDERAL POLICY

WHEREAS, federally-funded teacher centers have helped teachers and other school personnel broaden and improve their instructional skills and contributed to increased collaboration among higher education and public school faculties and staff; and

WHEREAS, teacher centers appear to be a contributing factor to improvement in student achievement in schools served by the centers; and

WHEREAS, despite the education community's support of the teacher center concept as an effective inservice mechanism, the Reagan administration favors consolidation of this federal initiative into block grants and a budget rescission of 25 percent, a course of action likely to choke centers through competition with other educational priorities at the state level and with each other; and

WHEREAS, of the current 99 federally funded teacher centers, 60 have completed their three-year funding cycle and will expire in FY 81; and

WHEREAS, greatly reduced funding and new legal requirements that at least one teacher center exist in each state threaten a large number of these centers with extinction just as they are gaining the strength and legitimacy to merit state and local funds; and

WHEREAS, these same centers threatened with extinction are flagship centers, serving as models for the nation; and

WHEREAS, abandoning these centers would mean abandoning a three-year investment in a federal initiative proven workable and effective:

RESOLVED, that the federal government support improvement of school personnel skills by expanding its commitment, financially and otherwise, to spreading the teacher center concept; and

RESOLVED, that teacher centers not be included in block grant consolidation where they are likely to be eclipsed at the state level by under-funded programs of direct aid and services to students; and

RESOLVED, that funding procedures be adjusted to preserve centers whose three-year cycle has now expired and which are re-competing for limited funds, where quality and cost-effectiveness in serving large numbers of teachers have been demonstrated; and

RESOLVED, that in accordance with lessons of experience, teacher center projects being funded for the first time, those never having been grant recipients, be funded with planning/start-up monies; and

RESOLVED, that existing centers, including the 60 whose federal funding cycle is expiring, be allowed under the circumstances of demonstrable commitment, progress and merit to continue their activities with federal support in order that they may be assured assimilation into the institutional structure; and