Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo receives over $8 million in federal grants
October 21, 2024
By KAREN VELIE
Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo received two grants, totaling more than $8 million, from the U.S. Department of Education to help address a variety of critical issues and areas of need in education.
With the funding, faculty and staff will recruit, train and support a diverse pool of more than 1,500 teachers; help address current classroom challenges and teacher shortages; better serve bilingual students and students with disabilities; and continue to encourage long-term career success for program graduates.
About one in 10 of all teaching positions across the United States are unfilled or filled by individuals without certifications, according to data published by the educational research organization WestEd.
“I hear from superintendents all the time about the need for teachers, including in specialized teaching areas such as special education and English learner instruction,” said Chance Hoellwarth, director of the School of Education. “We’re really trying to change the local educational environment in a variety of synergistic ways that I believe will be impactful for students, teacher candidates and teachers.”
Cal Poly will partner on this work with school districts in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties, Cuesta and Allan Hancock community colleges, as well as community organizations including the Mixteco Indigena Community Organizing Project and the California Mini-Corps Program.
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