The Florida Senate

240.53  Postdoctoral programs to train faculty to provide middle childhood education training and technical assistance.--

(1)  The Department of Education, in cooperation with the Board of Regents and the State Board of Independent Colleges and Universities, is authorized and directed to establish one or more approved postdoctoral training programs to train currently employed college or university faculty to deliver postsecondary courses, inservice training programs, and technical assistance related to middle childhood education programs.

(2)  The department is authorized to award grants to a college or university located in and approved by the state to develop such programs. Such programs shall meet the following criteria, in addition to other criteria specified by the department:

(a)  The programs shall be voluntary, and the participants must have doctoral degrees and at least 2 years of full-time teaching experience at colleges or universities.

(b)  Each prospective participant must be nominated by the dean or equivalent individual at the prospective participant's institution.

(c)  The programs must be conducted by postsecondary faculty, district school personnel, or laboratory school personnel who demonstrate outstanding training, expertise, and experience relevant to middle grade education.

(d)  The content of the programs must include, as a minimum, the following subject content areas: the middle grades, understanding the middle grade student, planning and evaluating middle grade programs, middle grade curriculum development, and teaming and interdisciplinary instruction in the middle grades. The department shall specify guidelines for additional content areas for the training of administrators and student services personnel.

(e)  Participants volunteering to be trained under the provisions of this section must be continued at their full salaries and other benefits and privileges, provided they participate full time in the training programs and meet other requirements specified by the department. Such requirements must provide for a declaration to teach or provide other direct services in middle childhood education following completion of the training program.

(3)  The State Board of Education shall prescribe rules necessary to implement the provisions of this section.

History.--ss. 84, 94, ch. 84-336; s. 13, ch. 89-302.