BOCA RATON — The Florida Atlantic University College of Education recently received a $102,500 grant from The Jim Moran Foundation. The grant will benefit Good FIT (First Introduction to Teaching), a program within the Florida Institute for the Advancement of Teaching (FIAT). FIAT was created to recruit, prepare and retain quality teachers, in an effort to address the state’s critical teacher shortage.
“We truly appreciate this generous grant from The Jim Moran Foundation,” said Jennifer O’Flannery Anderson, Ph.D., vice president of community engagement at FAU. “We’re extremely proud of the award-winning FIAT program, and grants from organizations like The Jim Moran Foundation help to ensure that FAU’s College of Education continues to have a positive impact on our local communities.”
Good FIT is one of three FIAT programs structured to offer participants increasing levels of classroom responsibility. Students in any major who would like to explore teaching as a career are given the opportunity to become a paid instructional intern in a public school classroom one day a week with a model classroom teacher.
“My husband, Jim, recognized the importance of a quality education for every child – and that begins with a well prepared and enthusiastic teacher,” said Jan Moran, chairman and president of The Jim Moran Foundation. “Through our partnership with FAU’s innovative Good FIT program, we are continuing Jim’s legacy by helping future teachers gain real classroom experience while supporting student achievement.”
The 2012 Jim Moran Foundation grant will benefit a minimum of 100 FAU students in the Good FIT program. These students will provide at least 9,000 hours of instructional support to more than 12,000 students in Broward County public schools during the 2012 spring and fall semesters.
Since 2006, funding support by The Jim Moran Foundation has provided 284 college students the opportunity to actively participate in instructional activities within Broward County School District classrooms, thereby impacting nearly 29,000 K-12 students.