( Greenville , SC ) - While parents and students have been busy getting 
back into the swing of a new school year, The Alliance for Quality Education has 
been preparing for months to ensure a strong start to the year, as well as a long-
term impact.  Three major programs - targeting teachers and students - were 
recently launched.  
                                             "Toolkit" for New Teachers  
            To support the nearly 400 first-year teachers who are new to the teaching profession, The Alliance has prepared the "New Teacher Toolkit", a comprehensive, practical guide to teaching strategies, classroom management and resources for new teachers.  Over the summer, 3 excellent teachers worked to revise the "New Teacher Toolkit", a CD filled with useful information for teachers.  Funding for the project was generously provided by John I. Smith Charities and The Jolley 
 Foundation.
                                                     Teacher Mentors
            The Alliance is continuing, with Greenville County Schools, a mentoring program for new teachers at six schools to increase teacher retention rates and teacher quality.  Research connects high teacher turnover with lower student performance.  The selected schools are Greenbrier Elementary, Blythe Academy , Sevier Middle, Lakeview Middle, Berea High and Southside High.  Experienced teachers, hired by The Alliance, will spend up to 10 hours a week in the selected schools, working alongside first year teachers.

                          Mini-Grant Program awards over $36,000 to local schools
            The Alliance Mini-Grant Program this year has awarded over $16,000 in school-wide grants to Greenville County Schools and in connection with a national organization, DonorsChoose, has awarded over $16,000 to individual teachers to help improve student achievement in their classrooms.  This year's 51 innovative grants went to 30 different schools and include 14 school-wide and 37 individual teacher grants.  On Tuesday, August 14, 2007 a grants reception was held at The University Center honoring this year's recipients.  Ed Good, Alliance Board Chair,  welcomed the recipients and Jennifer Whittle, Alliance Board Member and Grants Review Committee member,  announced the 2007 - 2008 mini-grant recipients.  The grants cover all grade levels and all areas of curricula.  In its 22-year history, almost $1 million has been awarded for over 1,500 innovative projects that directly impact students in Greenville County classrooms.  For the second year now, a special award was given in memory of longtime Alliance Board member Caroline Johnston.  Barbara Harris, a teacher at Welcome Elementary School , received the Caroline Johnston Award for Teaching for her project, "ESOL Ambassadors".  Harris' proposal received an exemplary score from the volunteer Alliance grants review team.  

Parent Involvement Grants Awarded to 26 Greenville County Schools  

            The Alliance Parent Involvement Committee, chaired by Alliance Board member Ms. Tunky Riley, worked this summer reviewing applications for grants that would encourage parents to get more involved in their children's education.  26 grants totaling over $22,000 have been awarded for the 2007 - 2008 school year.