GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 1993

H	1 

HOUSE BILL 557

Short Title:  Teacher Academy Funds.	(Public)
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Sponsors: Representatives Black; and Cummings.
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Referred to:  Appropriations.
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March 25, 1993

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO APPROPRIATE FUNDS TO CREATE TEACHER ACADEMIES FOR THE TRAINING OF PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Public Education, Department of Public Instruction, the sum of two million dollars ($2,000,000) for the 1993-94 fiscal year and the sum of two million dollars ($2,000,000) for the 1994-95 fiscal year to plan, design, establish, and operate Teacher Academies to train public school teachers in (i) successful strategies and processes that have been proven effective in improving student achievement and (ii) updated content in the various curricular areas. The academies shall consist of four one-week sessions at each of 10 sites and quarterly weekend follow-up sessions for the participants.  Each academy shall be limited to 50 teachers per week.  The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall administer the Teacher Academies Program through contracts with institutions of higher education evenly distributed geographically throughout the State.
The Department of Public Instruction may use up to three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000) for the 1993-94 fiscal year and three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000) for the 1994-95 fiscal year for its costs, including the costs of any necessary staffing, to carry out the following duties:
(1)	Conduct a needs assessment in which teachers indicate their priority needs for training;
(2)	Design and develop training modules for teaching strategies and content-specific instruction such as mentor training, teaching thinking skills, use of advanced technology in classrooms, teaching concepts in mathematics to young students;
(3)	Identify teacher leaders to be trained to conduct instruction in the academies;
(4)	Train or contract with instructors to train teacher leaders who will in turn train other teachers who attend the academies; and
(5)	Select and contract with institutions of higher education for 10 sites that shall house the academies.
The remainder of the funds shall be used for the costs of operating and staffing the academies and follow-up sessions and for stipends for teachers who attend.
Sec. 2.  This act becomes effective July 1, 1993.