William Paterson University www.wpunj.edu & Garden State Partnership http://www.wpunj.edu/coe/gsptq/ The Garden State Partnership for Teacher Quality (GSPTQ) will improve the academic achievement of K-12 students in high need urban schools through the recruitment, preparation and retention of highly qualified teachers in New Jersey. The Colleges of Education and Arts and Sciences at William Paterson University, Kean University, and Rowan University, in collaboration with high-need LEAs of Bridgeton, Camden, Jersey City, Passaic, Paterson, and Union City and the New Jersey Department of Education will reach a total of 92,000 students in the highest need school districts in our state. The project will reform the Pre-Baccalaureate programs at partnering universities and establish the Garden State Urban Teacher Residency Program that will culminate in dual certification and a master's degree, ensuring both highly-qualified teacher status and expertise in areas of critical shortage including special education, ESL and bilingual education. GSPTQ will establish 15 Professional Development Schools, to support pre-service and in-service teachers in partnering districts and recruit, prepare and retain educational leaders in New Jersey's most challenging urban communities. This project will impact 2,500 new teachers each year who will graduate from the restructured, clinically-based pre-baccalaureate programs of the partnering institutions, with a 95% retention rate after three years of employment; and within five years 60 new teachers will complete the Garden State Urban Teacher Residency Program with a 100% retention rate in high needs urban schools after three years of employment. In partnership with the New Jersey Department of Education, we will develop systems for tracking teacher retention and impact on student learning.
