About The East Ramapo Teachers' Center
The East Ramapo Teachers' Center, located in Kakiat Junior High School in Spring Valley, provides opportunities for all members of the educational community to grow professionally and personally. As a catalyst in the shared decision making model, the Center is governed by a Policy Board comprised of teachers, administrators, and a representative from the Board of Education, higher education, parent and business communities. The Center has offered many courses and workshops over the years, and has been instrumental and successfull in bringing technology into the classrooms and integrating it with the curriculum. All programs actively engage teachers in the planning and implementation of new ideas, and more importantly, give educators occasion to share their ideas with colleagues.
But the Center is much more than staff development for teachers. The present focus of the Center has changed to include parents, students, and community members. Through outreach programs such as Homework Centers and a Homework Help Hotline, students find assistance. In an effort to foster better home/school involvement, parents attend parenting workshops and technology nights sponsored by the Center. Teachers can also find support to attend a conference or to fund a classroom project.
As a result of these outreach programs, over 6,000 teachers, parents and students were served by the Center in 1994-95 alone, despite a decrease in funding from New York State. Funding for the 1995-96 has diminished by approximately 50% from previous years, yet our programs, although limited, continue to flourish. This can be attributed to the fact that Teacher Center programs are planned by teachers to address the needs identified by them; programs are also cost effective and meaningful, and the Center is a significant link between teachers and the school, home, higher education, and business.
With great pride, the East Ramapo Teachers' Center celebrated its 10th Anniversary in December 1994 with an Open House. Those visiting the Center for the first time were impressed to see -- as one teacher put it -- the "wonderful professional resources" at the Center. Those who had visited before, knew how valuable the Center's services have been to the educational community.
Although the East Ramapo Teachers' Center was originally begun in 1978 and was one of only three Centers in New York State to be funded under Federal Legislation, the 10th Anniversary marked the Center's reopening in 1984 with funding from New York State.
According to the Center's Coordinator, Paula Acunto, "the African proverb, 'it takes the whole village to educate a child,' epitomizes the goals of the Center from 1984 to present. The Center truly supports and encourages teachers' efforts to effect change and make a difference." Collaboration and cooperation with "the whole village" insures that the Teachers' Center will continue to positively impact the teaching/learning environment.