COEHS Recent Grants

About: Project InTERSECT allows us to offer local educators and teacher candidates STEM and computational thinking training. Project InTERSECT focuses on  Inquiry to Transform Educator Readiness for STEM+C Early Childhood Teaching . This Supporting Effective Educator Development grant (SEED) will expand existing partnerships with Duval County Public Schools (DCPS) and Northeast Florida Regional STEM2Hub to provide teachers with evidence-based professional development activities that address the need of DCPS students as well as evidence-based professional enhancement which includes activities leading to advanced credentials. The program began Summer 2021 and includes cohorts for STEM+C teacher leaders, professional development, and teacher candidates. 

Principal Investigator: Diane Yendol-Hoppey

About: The UNF College of Education and Human Services, in a collaboration with the University of Oklahoma and the University of Louisville, has been awarded a $3.5M grant from the U.S. Department of Education to address the critical shortages of special education administrators to serve in rural districts.

Project SPIDERS (School-university Partnerships Influencing aDvocating and Engaging Rural Special Educators) will kick off Spring 2022. The funding will support 18 doctoral students (six at UNF) through doctoral programs that prepare special education personnel who are well-qualified for and can act effectively in leadership positions in rural school systems. 

Principal Investigators:  David Hoppey and Pam Williamson 

In the News:  Learn more about the program via the UNF News Article: UNF receives $3.5M US Dept. of Education grant to prepare rural special education administrators

About: The UNF College of Education and Human Services has been awarded a $3.35M grant from the U.S. Department of Education in order to expand a long-standing partnership with Duval County Public Schools (DCPS) and a network of high-need schools to address Absolute Priority (Establishment of Effective Teaching Residency Programs). This project is a cost-effective and transformative approach to enhancing the recruitment, preparation, induction, and retention of educators in a large, high-need, urban school district. The project aims to assess the impact of Transforming Teacher Preparation for Duval County (TTPD) through Teacher Residencies in achieving three goals: (1) Increase the number of teachers certified in high-need areas; (2) Increase retention of highly effective teachers in high-need schools/subjects; and (3) Increase the motivation and performance of high-need students.

Utilizing resources of Professional Development Schools, the project integrades inclusion practices across programs of study, provides advanced preparation for teacher mentors, and supports job-embedded feedback from mentors and faculty. 

Principal Investigators: Paul Parkison and Wanda Lastrapes 

About: The 2021-27 Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs” (GEAR UP) award continues the UNF School Counseling program’s rich partnership with Duval County Public Schools (DCPS) to increase the number of students from low-income backgrounds who are prepared for postsecondary education. As a GEAR UP partner, an innovative, culturally responsive college-career readiness curriculum will be delivered by College-Career Navigators (CCNs) to a cohort of DCPS students starting from grade seven through high school graduation. The grant provides opportunities for UNF students (CCNs) and School Counseling faculty to lead, serve and mentor DCPS youth as they ‘navigate’ the road from middle school to postsecondary success. Grant programming includes early career exploration, career fairs, individual and small group mentoring, career representative speaker series, and youth leadership development for both DCPS and UNF students participating in services.

Principal Investigator: Sophie Filibert

About: The ASL/English Interpreting Program has been awarded a $1.1 million grant from the Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) to increase the number of highly qualified, academically prepared ASL/English interpreters ready to work in the K-12 educational setting. The five-year project called Educational Interpreter Preparation Project (EIPP) aims to fill the dire shortage of interpreters in K-12 settings by recruiting, retaining and graduating 40 undergraduate and 20 graduate scholars who will be qualified for work as educational interpreters. 

Principal Investigator: Len Roberson

In the News: Learn more about the program via the UNF News Article: UNF receives significant DOE grant to prepare ASL/English interpreters for K-12 schools 

About: Dr. Otilia Salmon received a $2.18 million grant to form the ESOL Career Ladder for Student Success project, which has addressed the chronic and growing demand for motivated and well-trained teachers who are equipped to support the ever-growing number of English Language Learners (ELLs) in the Duval County Public Schools. DCPS has experienced a huge influx of ELL students while its ESOL-certified teaching force has remained very low. This grant provided a career ladder for bilingual paraprofessionals who wish to complete their degrees and to meet the requirements for becoming certified ESOL teachers within the district. This grant was extended to include elementary education pre-service teachers with the same opportunity that would allow them to take the courses required to take and pass the ESOL Certification exam; thereby increasing the number of graduates from the COEHS who are better prepared to meet the needs of ELLs.

Principal Investigator: Tia Kimball     

About: Supported by an award of $914,000 from NSF’s Robert Noyce Teaching Fellows program, UNF’s Jacksonville Teacher Residency has prepared and currently supports 14 secondary STEM Duval County Public School teachers. With a focus on care and excellence, these teachers are engaging their students in rich and relevant learning experiences that connect science and mathematics to students’ lives while increasing their interest in STEM and positively impacting achievement.

Principal Investigator: Wanda Lastrapes

About: The CCAMPIS Program supports the participation of low-income parents in postsecondary education through the provision of campus-based child care services. The goal of this project is to provide low-cost early care and learning services for low income student parents at the University of North Florida in order to facilitate parents' degree completion and children's developmental flourishing and school readiness. UNF Preschool assures that CCAMPIS recipients with disabilities and their children are fully supported and included in all program activities. UNF Preschool works with CCAMPIS recipients to help them find appropriate placements and support for any children whose disabilities necessitate a specialized learning environment.

Primary Investigator: Christian Winterbottom

About: The Teaching Educators Computational Thinking (TECt) project, a Researcher-Practitioner Partnership (RPP) funded through the National Science Foundation’s Computer Science for All grant program is a partnership between UNF and Duval County Public Schools (DCPS). 

The TECt Grant Program helps secondary teachers foster computational thinking in computer science. The program builds on existing partnerships to provide professional development and coursework designed to equip high school teachers to teach computer science. This RPP engages multiple partners from UNF, DCPS, Northeast Florida STEM2 Hub—a regional advocacy group with community and industry leaders. 

Primary Investigator: Brian Zoellner 

About: Duval County Public Schools, in partnership with UNF and FSU, received funding from the Department of Education for Using and Leveraging Technology to Reinvent Accessibility: Minecraft Mentor Edition (ULTRA:ME) Program. The study serves 280 teachers and 4,760 K-5 grade students (10% of whom are high-need Exceptional Students Education (ESE) students. The program includes professional development, peer mentoring, coaching and professional learning communities to reinforce science topics taught via Minecraft for K-5 teachers.  

Principal Investigator: Kim Cheek

About: The VOYA Foundation Grant is a partnership with Duval County Public Schools and UNF's College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Education and Human Services. The project focuses on delivering high-quality Quantum Physics Secondary professional development. the ultimate goal to expand science pathways for DCPS students, thereby diversifying the STEM workforce in Northeast Florida and beyond. This project will serve up to 30 pre- and in-service teachers with a focus on Title 1 schools.

About: The UNF Preschool has been approved as a PNC Grow Up Great® partner. With the newly awarded $10,000 grant, the money will be used towards providing UNF Preschool staff and Early Childhood Education Faculty Reggio Emilia professional development and training opportunities. Furthering the UNF Preschool’s path to becoming a Reggio Emilia Center of Excellence.

Principal Investigator: Christian Winterbottom