A New York State Teachers’ Center
“A source for teachers… A promise for students”
Rockland Teachers’ Center provides grant-funded professional learning opportunities and Continuing Teacher and Leader Education (CTLE) for educators and support staff.
Rockland Teachers’ Center is a New York State Resource and Computer Training Centers established in 1976 under Education Law 316 and one of 124 NYS Teacher Centers statewide. RTC works with the Lower Hudson Teacher Center Network (LHTCN) on regional initiatives and the Nyack Teacher Center and East Ramapo Teacher Center on local initiatives. Rockland BOCES serves as RTC’s Local Education Agency (LEA) since 2015 and the LHTCN’s LEA since 2021. RTC and the LHTCN are funded through the New York State Education Department (NYSED) Teacher Resource and Computer Training Centers Continuation grant.
As of 2024, the NYSED Teacher Resource and Computer Training Centers Continuation grant are housed in the NYSED Office of Educational Design & Technology, which “coordinates programs and initiatives that promote the effective integration of technology in P-12 educational environments throughout New York State in order to improve teaching and learning”.
Major RTC Initiatives
Arts Education and Cultural Arts
RTC provides support and resources for Cultural Arts Coordinators through bi-annual trainings, connecting cultural arts coordinators, and maintaining a resource portal.
Cultural Arts Coordinator trainings, co-sponsored by Rockland BOCES, include networking among countywide cultural arts coordinators, a local program showcase, and a Q & A about cultural arts with the Rockland BOCES liaison. The trainings generally occur in Sept and June, and as needed.
Contact: dstudnitzer@rockteach.org
Coming soon!
Rockland Teachers’ Center provides online 3 hour trainings and 15 hour courses focused on supporting English as a New Language students. Topics include Supporting ELLs in the Mainstream Classroom, SIOP Lesson Planning: What Difference? and Current Teaching Trends and Tips in ENL.
RTC collaborates with Rockland Reading Council and St. Thomas Aquinas College on a literacy initiative, which includes after-school professional learning for CTLE and professional development. RTC also offers professional development focused on literacy and English as a New Language.
RTCI supports Rockland Reading Council, local council of the New York State Reading Association. Join Rockland Reading Council
RTC collaborates with The Living History Education Foundation to provide professional development and CTLE for educators and support staff.
“This is the most wonderful workshop and activity I HAVE EVER BEEN A PART OF and I have taught for 16 years! There is so much I plan to integrate into my classroom and I wish we could have spent DAYS with Joe Ryan and his crew instead of hours. The knowledge and enthusiasm of the instructors is truly infectious, and I felt completely immersed in the Civil War, from the kepi hat I wore to the cartridge box and haversack hanging from my shoulder…”
~ Paul Clemente
Rockland Teachers’ Center, in conjunction with the Lower Hudson Teacher Center Network and National Board Council of NYS, offers programming to support Accomplished Teaching and National Board Certification candidates. Additional support is offered through National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.
What is the Poverty Simulation? The poverty simulation experience is designed to help participants understand what it is like to live in poverty and try to make ends meet from month to month. It is a simulation, not a game. The primary objective is to sensitize participants to the realities faced by low-income individuals and families and to educate the participants about the challenges that people living in poverty must address every day. Participants experience how these challenges can affect the behaviors, beliefs, and health of these individuals. It provides educators with a better understanding of the social and academics effects of poverty on the students they serve.
In the simulation, 50-80 participants assume the roles of up to 26 different families facing poverty. Some family members are newly unemployed, some are recently deserted by the “breadwinner,” some are homeless. Others are senior citizens receiving disability or retirement payments or grandparents raising grandchildren. The task of the “families” is to provide for basic necessities (food, shelter, medical care, etc.) during the course of four “weeks”. Throughout the simulation, individuals must complete a series of tasks that involve interacting with community services and resources, schools, businesses, landlords, etc. to aid them in surviving.
At the end of the simulation, participants reflect upon the experience during an organized debriefing session. In addition, educators identify how poverty is affecting their students emotionally, behaviorally, and academically. The simulation and debriefing take 3 hours.
Contact Deborah Studnitzer to learn more
Rockland Teachers’ Center partners with the Rockland County School Health and Wellness Coalition on initiatives to improve the health of our students and school community. Foci include integrating physical activity into the classroom, nutrition, parent engagement, building community through agriculture.
Rockland County Department of Health is the Lead Agency. Steering Committee partners include RTC, Rockland Farm Alliance, Cornell Cooperative Extension SNAP ED, Montefiore Nyack, Rockland BOCES, Rockland 21C Collaborative for Children and Youth, RCADD, CEJJES, Rockland Community College, Dominican University, Head Start and Tender Steps of New York.
Since 2020, RTC and Cornell Cooperative Extension SNAP ED partner on a statewide Annual School Wellness Summer Symposium delivered via Zoom.
- RTC STEAM Website
- Drone Technology
- G-Suite for Education and Ed Tech Tools
- littleBits Loaner Program
RTC trainings are aligned to the Next Generation Math & Science Standards.
Math
RTC partners with The Association of Mathematics Teachers of New York State (AMTNYS) and Ten County Mathematics Educators Association (TCMEA) to offer statewide and regional programming aligned to P-12 Math standards.
In addition, RTC offers an Elementary Math Professional Learning Community (PLC), which offers an opportunity for sharing Math resources and strategies.
- Community and Professional Partners
- Consortium Districts
- Emergency Closing Info
- Fair Use Copyright Policy
- Higher Education Partners
- News and Updates
- Policy Board
- Rockland Teachers’ Center Team
Physical Address
By appointment: 37 W. Broad Street 2nd Floor, Haverstraw, New York, 10927
Mailing Address
65 Chapel Street, Garnerville NY 10923
Contact
Phone: 845-553-9517