$250K Available For Elementary Math Professional Development

CONCORD – The New Hampshire Department of Education has funds available for school districts interested in offering professional development to their elementary mathematics educators this summer. Last week, the department’s Division of Learner Support released $250,000 via a competitive grant (Title II, Part A) that districts can apply for through April 12, 2019. Districts interested in applying for the grants must use the funds to improve student achievement at the elementary school level in four key priorities.

Those priorities include expanding the capacity of educators to provide arithmetic and mathematical instruction using evidence-based practices. The professional development programs must also assist teachers in acquiring knowledge on how to apply best practices. Educators should also be working toward creating continuity for math concepts as a student progresses from one grade to the next.

The funds are 4 percent of the Title II funds the state receives that the NH DOE reserves for professional development as part of the Every Student Succeeds Act. In previous years, the department contracted with vendors to initiate special projects including training for principals or as small block grants for targeted professional development.

“This is a great opportunity for administrators to access funds to assist educators in targeting their approach to teaching mathematics to some of the state’s youngest learners,” noted Frank Edelblut, the commissioner for the New Hampshire Department of Education. “Laying strong math foundations early in a student’s learning and equipping our teachers to be more effective as math instructors will pay strong dividends for future achievement.”

After districts are awarded the funds, they must be spent by Sept. 30.