An innovative teacher-to-teacher training program developed by the San Bernardino City Unified School District (SBCUSD) earned a coveted Golden Bell Award from the California School Boards Association (CSBA).
Superintendent Dr. Dale Marsden and members of the Board of Education received the award on December 5 during the Association’s annual meeting in San Diego. The District’s Demonstration Teacher Program was one of just five in San Bernardino County to be lauded with a Golden Bell. The award, one of the state’s leading education honors, recognizes outstanding public school programs for innovation, sustainability, and best practices that result in positive student outcomes.
When the state adopted new academic standards, the District’s Board recognized the need to create innovative ways for teachers and administrators to see how the standards might be implemented in our specific context. Under the direction of the Board of Education, the District established a committee to create a program that would enable the District to become a leader in the implementation of the new standards.
The Demonstration Teacher Program, which launched in 2013, is an exemplary program that provides opportunities for teacher leadership, a pathway for aspiring teachers through mentorship of students and student teachers, a systematic support system for new and struggling teachers, and inspiration for all teachers to innovate and excel.
Demonstration teachers provide an innovative blend of traditional professional development and professional learning by opening their classroom doors to all educators from the first day of school to the last, in order for teachers to observe and learn.
The Board’s financial commitment to this program has enabled thousands of educators, within and outside the District, to benefit. As the program has grown, the Board has funded a full-time National Board Certified teacher and former demonstration teacher to lead the program in her new role as a program specialist. The Board is committed to the sustainability of this program, and recognizes that it is a proven model program for other districts.
-mepmepmep-
A service of the Communications Department of San Bernardino City Unified School District