nothin Gates Throws $111K To New Haven Schools | New Haven Independent

Gates Throws $111K
To New Haven Schools

Bill Gates wants to pay New Haven to develop an innovative” way of training teachers.

The school board on Monday accepted an $111,042 planning grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a major national player in influencing school reform through private investment.

New Haven will use the money to draw up a proposal to create “innovative professional development” (iPD) for teachers.

If New Haven makes it through a second hurdle, Gates would pay $3 million to $5 million towards that plan, according to New Haven school reform czar Garth Harries.

The Gates Foundation approached New Haven about the opportunity, said Harries, who in his previous job worked with Gates in New York City on a plan to implement smaller high schools.

Harries said the effort would address a common complaint: that professional development is one-size-fits all and doesn’t meet a teacher’s needs. Gates is asking school districts to come up with ideas for more flexible training, including online sessions that teachers can participate in at their own pace, Harries said.

New Haven and Bridgeport were among a handful of school districts in the country that won planning grants, Harries said. The Gates grant would supplement New Haven’s nascent effort to leverage $53 million in federal money to improve the way it trains, grades, and rewards educators.

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