Frostburg State Receives $4 Million Grant from U.S. Department of Education

Frostburg State University was recently awarded a $4 million grant through the Maryland Accelerates Teacher Education Program. The grant, which is in partnership with Garrett County and Frederick County public schools as well as FSU’s Master of Arts in Teaching, will serve to raise the number of certified teachers in Maryland schools. It will also provide a professional development path in which teachers will have the ability to mentor new education professionals. 

The program is estimated to make a substantial impact on the community, with 40 new teachers joining the program and over 130 established educators becoming mentors. The grant will also aid approximately 4,500 students in rural communities. The program is aimed at subjects where there is a critical need for teachers.

The program is designed to place an emphasis on retaining teachers, given that there is a substantial number of educators who leave the field after a few years. Additionally, the professional development mentoring pathway will allow teachers to move forward in their field while still being able to stay in the classroom.

Per the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, schools that have received these grants in the past have seen “improvements in the quality and retention of their teachers and in the quality of their students’ learning experiences and achievements.”

FSU President Ron Nowaczyk said of the program, “This grant allows Frostburg State University to build on its historic strength in teacher preparation while addressing the needs of school systems today and in the future.” Meanwhile, Dr. Liz Throop, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, called the grant a “game-changer” and said “this 4 million dollars will solidify our impact in the region” while she commended the Department of Education for their leadership in procuring the grant for FSU.

Other universities to receive this grant in the past include the University of California, Los Angeles, Arizona State University, and Temple University. The first students of the program will begin in 2020.