Guilford County Schools Receives Transition to Teaching Grant

GCS is the only recipient from North Carolina

Contact: Laurie Hogan (336) 370-8307
Created: 5/6/2009 3:00:23 PM

The U.S. Department of Education named Guilford County Schools (GCS) the recipient of a Transition to Teaching grant Tuesday. The district is the only recipient in North Carolina.

The Transition to Teaching program supports efforts to recruit mid-career professionals and recent college graduates with degrees in areas other than education and help them become teachers through alternative certification methods. The program emphasizes placing teachers in high-need schools. The grant will bring additional resources to GCS to support the development of lateral entry teachers, including funding for three staff positions, training, professional resources and technology.

The grant will total as much as $2.2 million over the course of the next five years. The initial grant award for 2009-10, the district’s start-up year, is $388,979. Each year, the grant amount will be adjusted up or down depending on annual goal achievement and need.

“We are thrilled that the current successes of our Lateral Entry Resource and Advising Center and our in-house licensure program, GCS-ACT, have led to the receipt of this grant for the purpose of continuing our work,” said Amy Holcombe, executive director of talent development.

The U.S. Department of Education awarded the grant to programs that develop and implement comprehensive efforts to train, place and support teacher candidates, either through existing or alternative paths to teacher certification. GCS currently operates a Lateral Entry Resource and Advising Center to provide the support and orientation lateral entry candidates need to teach in the district. The district also offers the Guilford County Schools Alternative Certification Track (GCS-ACT) as one of three ways lateral entry teachers can earn licensure to teach in North Carolina. The 18-month program, operated in conjunction with Guilford Technical Community College, is a low-cost option of course offerings and coaching designed specifically with lateral entry teachers in mind.

Holcombe expects that the grant will help greatly with the district’s ability to recruit and retain highly effective teachers for the hardest to staff subject areas in schools across the county.

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About Guilford County Schools

Guilford County Schools is the third largest school district in North Carolina serving more than 71,000 students at 120 schools. With approximately 10,000 employees, the district’s mission is to graduate responsible citizens prepared to succeed in higher education or the career of their choice. 

Guilford County Schools is a national leader in providing specialized schools and instructional programs designed to meet the educational needs of a culturally diverse citizenship.  For more information, visit the district’s Web site at www.gcsnc.com.