White House Announces New Yale Commitments

For the Summit, Yale University, through the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute...

The White House College Opportunity Summit on December 4 focused on building sustainable collaborations in communities with strong K-12 and higher education partnerships to encourage college going, especially for first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented students.

For the Summit, Yale University, through the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute, recommitted to increasing the preparation and effectiveness of teachers in public schools that enroll a significant proportion of students from low-income families. In the new Yale commitments released by the White House:

• "The Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute will increase by one-third the number of urban and rural school districts that send teachers from high-need schools to participate as Fellows in national programs of the Teachers Institute."
• "Toward the goal of ensuring an equitable distribution of effective teachers for engaging and educating students from low-income families, Yale will convene a national conference on the role of Teachers Institutes in supporting and retaining teachers in high-need schools."

According to Director James R. Vivian, "We will redouble our efforts to inform public policy on high-quality professional development for teachers in schools where the need is greatest." Vivian added, "using emerging technologies, the Yale National Initiative also will raise awareness of the rigorous curriculum units teachers develop at Yale and other Institute locations, increasing the number of STEM and humanities teachers using these units in public school districts around the country."