High Point University received an almost $10 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education, which it will use to fund graduate programs for teachers and principals in its school of education, according to a press release.
The programs — Master of Arts in Teaching and Master of Education with principal licensure — are part of a partnership with local school districts and other universities. The teaching program partners with Winston-Salem/Forsyth Schools and N.C. A&T University. The principal program partners with Winston-Salem/Forsyth Schools, Alamance-Burlington Schools, and Vance County Schools.
“This is evidence of the exceptional faculty in the Stout School of Education who have a history of delivering high-impact programs with outstanding results,” said Amy Holcombe, dean of the Stout School of Education, in a press release. “Programs funded through this grant will provide faculty significant opportunities to engage in research with our K-12 partners and our partner university, N.C. A&T. It is through the fostering of these partnerships that High Point University plays a significant role in developing our community and achieving improved outcomes for our K-12 students. When we grow strong schools, we attract families and businesses to move to High Point and make long-term investments in our community.”
According to the press release, the grant program is meant to be used to diversify the teacher and principal pool with candidates who want to work in high-needs schools.
This is the second grant awarded to the university through the grant program. The first grant — $4 million — has already had an impact, adding 75 teachers to the teaching pool in North Carolina, the press release stated.
“Upon graduation, these teachers and principals will have the capacity to transform schools and improve outcomes for all students,” Holcombe said in the press release. “As a result of grant funding, our educators will be able to graduate debt-free and focus on being difference makers in our community.”
