Summary/Abstract:
Mississippi State University, in partnership with the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) and a consortium of 30 high-need rural Local Education Agencies (LEAs), proposes to implement Learning and Educating through Alternative Programs (LEAP), an alternative recruitment and certification program for the State of Mississippi. This 5-year, multifaceted program will develop and expand alternative routes to fulfill State teacher certification for highly qualified mid-career professionals, recent college graduates who have not majored in education, and highly qualified paraprofessionals. The program will focus on recruiting, training, hiring, and retaining these new teachers for critically understaffed positions in high-need schools throughout the state. LEAP will serve all areas of the state through the Mississippi State University campus at Starkville and the extension campus in Meridian, and certify 35 new teachers per year, a total of 175 over the 5-year grant period. LEAP is an accelerated 36-credit hour program leading to a Master of Arts in Teaching that incorporates academic coursework, classroom internship, and mentoring over a 14-month period. Two intensive 10-week Summer Institutes (9 credits per institute) bracket two-semester internships in high-need LEAs, coupled with continued academic classes offered through online distance learning (9 credits per semester). Classes are staffed by MSU faculty, and the Summer Institutes are held on both the Starkville and Meridian campuses each year.

Funding Source:
U.S. Department of Education

Funding Level:
$620,000 per year for 5 years