The University of Vermont has announced a $5 million pledge from the Richard E. and Deborah L. Tarrant Foundation to expand a program at its Tarrant Institute for Innovative Education that introduces Vermont middle school teachers and students to innovative, technology-rich teaching practices.

The gift — the second $5 million commitment the foundation has made to the institute — will enable the program, which currently works in thirteen middle schools, to more than triple the number of schools it serves and reach new areas of the state. Through the program, the institute provides funds that middle schools use to acquire technology — netbooks, tablets, and interactive "smartboards" — and engages teachers in an intensive professional development program that they then integrate into their classes. "Giving students technology without showing teachers how to integrate it into the curriculum, a so-called 'technology drop,' is a recipe for disaster," said Tarrant Institute director Penny Bishop, professor in UVM's College of Education and Social Services.

Institute staff work with teachers during the summer and throughout the school year to develop an infrastructure that supports effective middle school teaching practices and a culture that sustains educational innovation. The earlier Tarrant Foundation gift launched the institute in 2009.

"We are deeply grateful to Rich and Deb and the Tarrant Foundation," said UVM president Tom Sullivan. "This gift will enable UVM's Tarrant Institute to play a major role in helping Vermont students achieve academic success. Nothing is more important."