Purpose: This initiative is intended to support teacher preparation courses and programs that enhance the capacity of all teachers to address the full range of student abilities and needs in the general education classroom setting at the early childhood, childhood, middle childhood, and/or adolescent level. Approaches to co-teaching might include one of the following arrangements:

• A colleague from one of the high need schools co-teaching a teacher preparation course(s) with a college faculty member. (See attached list of Regional School Support Center contacts for the list of high need schools).
• A college faculty member co-teaching in one of the high needs schools with a colleague from that school or district.

The goals of these first two approaches would be 1) to build and strengthen a partnership between the college and the high need school, and 2) to develop deeper understandings between and amongst us about the dual missions of serving all learners well and preparing new teachers to engage in this challenge successfully.

• College faculty co-teaching a teacher preparation course with a colleague from another department or division of the institution.
  Examples: general teacher education faculty members work with special education faculty members to explore an inclusive teacher preparation model; or a reading faculty member works with an early childhood faculty member to integrate strategies for early literacy development in learners; or faculty from bi-lingual education work with several regular and special education faculty members to develop and teach a new course on serving English language learners; and so on.

The goal of this approach is to develop teacher preparation courses and programs that enhance the capacity of all teachers to address the full range of student abilities and needs in the general education classroom setting at the early childhood, childhood, middle childhood, and/or adolescent level.

• Other co-teaching models and ideas are encouraged and will be considered.

Expected outcomes: It is expected that award recipients will design, deliver and assess their co-teaching experience as it occurs over the course of one semester.

Awards: Award amounts will be made up to $5,000. The grant itself will be given to a designated institution of higher education. An amount up to 8% of the total grant may be used to cover indirect costs incurred by the institution. Funds may be used as stipends for teachers, or a salary offset to make co-teaching possible or to enable other salary arrangement as might suit a particular situation.
Half of the grant funds will be forwarded to the designated institution when the grant proposal is approved. The other half of the grant funds will be forwarded upon receipt of an acceptable final report. It is the responsibility of the institution to distribute funds and maintain records of all transactions in preparation for the final report. Generally, only one award per higher education institution will be made, unless exceptional proposals are received. Funds must be expended by August 15, 2003.

Time frame: The "Proposal for Co-Teaching" should be submitted as soon as it is developed. Proposals will be accepted until, but no later than June 15, 2003. Review of all "Proposals for Co-Teaching" will begin in a timely manner after several are received.