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Faculty from all colleges at BGSU will work directly with the schools to make sure courses for pre-service teachers are "more strongly rooted in reality," Midden said.

In addition, a current East Toledo teacher will serve as teacher-in residence at BGSU for each of the five years of the grant to provide a continual "reality check" for teachers in training about working with youth in high-need urban areas.

Courses in the participating public schools will also be redesigned to incorporate real-world situations to make learning more realistic, connect learning to things students already know and increase student motivation.

"It’s very important to help students see that what they’re learning will apply in their lives," said Dr. Robert Berns, a professor of teaching and learning in the School of Education and Intervention Services. Berns, an expert in "contextual learning," said the plan will enable both BGSU and TPS students to learn in a "more active, participatory way, which will help them retain what they’re learning much better."

A key feature of the plan for BGSU is that a cross-campus group of faculty and administrators are involved and each contributed to the grant proposal. The colleges of arts and sciences, education and human development, music, technology and business administration will all have an active role in creating the best-prepared and most knowledgeable teachers possible. Bowling Green’s Partnerships for Community Action and Center for Innovative and Transformative Education also are key participants in the effort.

In addition, there will be a residential learning community for those students participating in the program. The proposal used the nationally recognized Chapman Learning Community, a residential, integrated study program, as a "good example of our experience and success with residential learning communities," Midden said. By living together, students will be able to participate in special events and activities to expand learning and share experiences. They will also develop teamwork skills, which have been shown to enhance learning and success in the workplace.

The plan is to build upon numerous other successful teacher preparation and outreach programs already in existence at BGSU to accomplish the project’s goals, Midden said.

The last project will be adapted as the basis for the Web-based portion of the program, which includes a wealth of information on teaching and learning approaches as well as building the "virtual learning community." Participants will communicate electronically in addition to their actual visits back and forth, to share their experiences and learn from one another in a supportive environment.

"Teacher preparation is an area of strength for the University, an area in which we are achieving a position of national prominence. We are very excited about the opportunity to not only benefit high-need urban schools but also to improve education at BGSU while strengthening the spirit of collaboration on our campus."