Montclair State Selected to Join Landmark Learning Network

Montclair State University has been selected by The Carnegie Corporation of New York, along with support from the Annenberg and Ford Foundations, to join the Teachers for a New Era (TNE) Learning Network, a landmark initiative designed to strengthen K-12 teaching by developing state-of-the-art programs at schools of education. Out of more than 1,000 higher education institutions with teacher education programs, Montclair State was one of only 30 schools--and the only one in New Jersey--to be invited to join the network.

In 2002-2003, 11 teacher education institutions from across the country were selected to be part of the TNE project. Each institution received a $5 million grant over five years, which the institution must match, for a total commitment at each site of at least $10 million. The TNE initiative challenges the colleges and universities to restructure their programs of education for teachers so as to set a national standard for excellence, as described in the Carnegie Corporation of New York's prospectus, "Teachers for a New Era: A National Initiative to Improve the Quality of Teaching."

With the original TNE institutions at the midpoint of the project, an additional 30 were chosen to become part of the TNE Learning Network. The creation of the Learning Network will expand the number of institutions actively engaged in transforming teacher education in accordance with the TNE design principles. Institutions that are members of the network will gain access to the TNE Web site and electronic publications, attend events specifically designed to build and promote teacher education reform, participate in regional networks, share reports and information, and receive invitations to TNE strands at annual meetings of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, the American Educational Research Association, and other national meetings. In addition to Montclair State, institutions selected include Johns Hopkins University, New York University and Vanderbilt University.

College of Education and Human Services Dean Ada Beth Cutler, College of Humanities and Social Science Dean Mary Papazian and Ana Maria Villegas of Curriculum and Teaching will attend the first TNE Learning Network meeting in Chicago, Nov. 14-15 where representatives from the 30 selected institutions will come together with the 11 TNE grantees and their partner institutions for an initial working meeting on K-12 and teacher candidate assessment. The meeting will feature workshops by recognized experts as well as facilitated cross-site discussions on key issues associated with teacher and pupil assessment.

"We are very proud that the Carnegie Corporation has recognized the quality of teacher education at Montclair State University by inviting us to become a member of the TNE Learning Network," said Cutler. "This is quite a feather in our cap and we look forward to learning from and with our colleagues at other fine universities."