Science Teachers Selected for Grant Participation
Wakulla County High science teacher Ann Kennedy was selected by the district’s superintendent for a unique training opportunity made possible by a $25,000 grant from Progress Energy. The timing of this training is critically important because, in 2006-2007, student FCAT science scores are tied to school grades.
“Because science is a field that changes daily due to
research, it is important to stay abreast of new developments,” said
Brenda Crouch, a consultant with the Panhandle Area Educational
Consortium (PAEC). “One of the best ways to stay current is to attend a
national conference that offers pre-conference institutes and more than
1,200 concurrent sessions for science educators. Professional
development of this caliber is expensive, and our small, rural
districts cannot afford to pay for teachers to attend the conference
and for travel costs associated with attendance.”
 That
is, until now. Kennedy joins eight other science teachers from
northwest Florida who will attend the 55th Annual National Science
Teachers Association National Conference March 29-April 1 in St. Louis,
thanks to Progress Energy. (At left: PAEC Administrator Neal Meadows presents Ann Kennedy with her selection letter.)
PAEC
received the grant to pay conference registration and travel costs for
one science educator from northwest Florida school districts served by
Progress Energy -- Gulf, Franklin, Wakulla, Jefferson, Madison, Taylor,
Liberty, Gadsden and Hamilton. As grant partners, these districts will
pay for travel costs associated with conference planning and
post-conference activities, as well as for substitute teachers during
the conference.
The grant’s objectives are:
• Expose
teachers from low socio-economic status and rural areas to current,
research-evidenced content, pedagogy and embedded technology to enhance
teachers’ ability to meet Florida’s educational goal of increasing
rigor and relevance in middle and high school science classrooms.
•
Develop a capacity for transferal, sharing and dissemination of science
information to other students and teachers via online and broadcast.
•
Raise academic achievement of students in areas served by Progress
Energy, statewide, and possibly nationally, as teachers infuse the
acquired skills and updated science content knowledge into their daily
practice and share those skills via broadcast.
“These teachers
will develop lesson plans and provide leadership at the district level
to ensure their new knowledge transfers to other science teachers and
into the classroom,” Mrs. Crouch added. As a grant partner, PAEC will
coordinate the teachers’ pre- and post-conference activities as well as
administer grant funds.
Videographers from PAEC’s Florida
Education Channel (FEC) will record teachers discussing their lesson
plans and edit these presentations into broadcast-quality productions.
FEC is available nationwide on DISH Network on 9418, thanks to a public
service agreement.
Progress Energy Community Relations Manager
Larry Watson said, "At Progress Energy, we understand the importance of
our educational systems to the local communities throughout our service
territory. Our continued support and commitment to education helps
improve the quality of life in the panhandle region."
PAEC is
Florida’s oldest regional educational service organization and has as
its mission to help school districts attain highest student
achievement, student by student across the consortium. By Florida
statute, PAEC is owned and governed by its member school districts:
Calhoun, FSU Schools, Inc., Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson,
Jefferson, Liberty, Madison, Taylor, Wakulla, Walton and Washington,
with Washington County serving as the consortium district of record.
Progress
Energy (NYSE: PGN,) headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., is a Fortune 250
diversified energy company with more than 24,000 megawatts of
generation capacity and $9 billion in annual revenues. The company’s
holdings include two electric utilities serving more than 2.9 million
customers in North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida. Progress
Energy also includes nonregulated operations covering merchant
generation, energy marketing and natural gas exploration.
This article originally published on December 18, 2006.
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