U.S. Department of Education Awards William Paterson University’s College of Education $3.2 Million Five-Year Grant to Prepare and Support Educational Leaders in Partnership with Paterson Public Schools

--William Paterson is the only New Jersey University funded.

William Paterson University has been awarded $3.2 million in a five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Innovation and Improvement to support the development, enhancement and expansion of innovative programs to recruit, train, and mentor principals for high-needs school districts. The University is one of 20 projects funded nationwide.

“There are no great schools without great principals and teachers,” says Arne Duncan, U. S. Education Secretary. “High quality examples of leadership can help shape a school’s culture and create an environment where students are excited to learn. These grants aim to support the development of these leaders, ultimately improving the effectiveness of educators and the academic achievement of students.”

Funds from the “Leaders as Learners” grant will support master’s degrees in educational leadership for 40 Paterson Public Schools (PPS) teachers.  In addition, this project is designed to support the career progression of educators through mentoring of new school leaders and collaborative planning and delivery of Leaders as Learners Institutes. The grant provides onsite, continuing support for a five-year period to the PPS through its innovative leaders-in-residence program, in which William Paterson (WP) faculty who are embedded in Paterson schools, will work collaboratively in Paterson schools with professors in residence and with district teachers and leaders to continuously improve school climate, to help retain teachers and leaders, and to boost student success.

“We are pleased to have such solid partnerships with the PPS and are thrilled that we have received the support of the U.S. Department of Education for innovation in leadership preparation,” says Candace Burns, dean of the College of Education at William Paterson. “We owe great thanks to Donnie Evans, state district superintendent of the PPS, for his dedication to educator advancement. As partners, WP and PPS can continue to provide the highest quality programs and supportive communities for teachers,  school leaders, and the students whom we serve.”

The DOE awarded the grant as part of the School Leadership Program, which supports the development, enhancement, and expansion of innovative programs to recruit, train, and mentor principals and assistant principals for high-need schools and districts. Grantees include school districts, institutes of higher education and non-profit organizations.

William Paterson University, one of the nine state colleges and universities in New Jersey, offers more than 250 undergraduate and graduate academic programs through five colleges: Arts and Communication, Cotsakos College of Business, Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, and Science and Health. Located on 370 hilltop acres in Wayne, the university enrolls more than 11,500 students and provides housing for nearly 2,700 students. The institution’s 400 full-time faculty are highly distinguished and diverse scholars and teachers, many of whom are recipients of prestigious awards and grants from the Fulbright Program, the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Science Foundation.