Deal announces Innovation in Teaching Competition

Gov. Nathan Deal today announced the launch of the Innovation in Teaching Competition, a recognition and reward opportunity for teachers available through Georgia’s Innovation Fund, a competitive grant program created through Georgia’s Race to the Top plan.

 

“Teacher Appreciation Week is the perfect time to launch this competition to recognize Georgia’s most effective and innovative educators,” said Deal. “The classroom teacher has the single biggest impact on learning, and this competition will help us move toward ensuring that every student has access to a highly effective and engaging teacher.”  

 

Through the Innovation in Teaching Competition, the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement will award educators who use innovative and effective strategies in teaching English Language Arts and mathematics and make videos of their instruction available to other educators. Specifically, Georgia teachers who are incorporating innovative applied learning strategies into their instruction of ELA and Mathematics can apply to serve as a teacher leader through this competition. Georgia Public Broadcasting will film the winning educators teaching in their classrooms in fall 2013 and spring 2014. The awarded teachers will receive a $2,000 stipend for serving as a leader to other educators, and the teacher’s school will receive a $5,000 grant.

 

In addition to creating a video of the awarded educators’ instruction, GPB will film an interview with awarded educators describing how they prepared their lessons and will make available the educators’ supplementary materials, such as student worksheets or lesson preparation tools. The videos and supplemental materials will be provided to other educators, parents, institutions of higher education and other stakeholders through the state’s longitudinal data system and other means.   

 

To be eligible to apply, teachers must have received an “exemplary” rating through the Teacher Keys Effectiveness System, Georgia’s comprehensive teacher evaluation instrument. Educators that teach in school systems that do not yet use TKES may apply with the endorsement of their school principal. One applicant is permitted per school for schools that do not use TKES. GOSA will review applications and select a minimum of 26 winning educators, one teacher from each grade level representing ELA and mathematics.  

 

Administered by GOSA, the Innovation Fund is a $19.4 million competitive grant opportunity created through Georgia’s Race to the Top plan. The state will use the Innovation Fund to determine best practices in innovative programming related to STEM education, applied learning and teacher and leader recruitment and development to influence future education policy efforts. GOSA has awarded $16.4 million to 23 different projects in three grant cycles. As interest in the Innovation Fund grows, the state will seek contributions from philanthropic organizations, nonprofits and businesses as a continuing source of start-up capital for promising innovations. More information about the Innovation Fund, including the Innovation in Teaching Competition RFP, can be found on the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement website.