The Roosevelt School District is the only one in the Valley that will benefit from a recently awarded federal education grant. The money will be used to help boost math scores among elementary students. The initiative is part of the new state-mandated achievement standards.

Roosevelt Unified School District in Phoenix (Photo courtesy of RUSD)

NADINE ARROYO RODRIGUEZ: The U.S. Department of Education awarded the three state universities $ 1 million to help train kindergarten through eighth grade teachers in the new Common Core standards. Each university will help train educators in local school districts. ASU will help prepare 130 first- and second-year teachers in the Roosevelt School District. Debora Moncayo oversees the district’s training programs.

DEBORA MONCAYO: I can’t even tell you how exciting it is to be able to have this infusion of not only expertise, but funding. There is no way we could have achieved the level of training that we will be able to accomplish with ASU’s partnership.

ARROYO RODRIGUEZ: ASU is the lead university for the project. It will manage the funds and facilitate additional training and coursework for the teachers. ASU’s Elizabeth Hinde is the project director. She says the funds will also be used for new education materials teachers will need in the classroom.

ELIZABETH HINDE: We want the teachers to know they’re not alone. And we are here to help.

ARROYO RODRIGUEZ: The teacher training begins in August. It will last 16 months.  Arizona is one of 47 states that have adopted the new Common Core math standard to be implemented in the next school year.