ESSE faculty member Katherine F. Thompson was named director of Georgia’s Teacher Quality Higher Education Program, effective July 1, 2010.  The program, funded by the U.S. Department of Education and administered by UGA for the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, is designated to enhance the teaching of science, mathematics, language arts, reading and social studies at the elementary, middle and high school levels in public and private schools across Georgia.

More than 600 teachers across the state participate each year in TQ professional development programs and workshops offered by faculty at University System of Georgia institutions. The timeframe for programs ranges from several days to a year, often beginning in summer, while others begin in fall and spring. Some have follow-up sessions during the school year.

Projects have included hands-on ecology activities at the State Botanical Garden, discovering environmental sciences by becoming a tourist in your own town, and understanding how to utilize traditional nursery rhymes and fairy tales to develop students’ literacy skills.

Professional learning unit credits or graduate course credits are offered for most programs. The TQ program distributes grant awards ranging from $5,000 to $75,000 for a 12-month period, with the possibility of 15-month funding available. About $1.9 million will be distributed in 2010.

For more information on Teacher Quality Enhancement Grants, go to www.coe.uga.edu/teacherquality