Georgia will become the first southern state selected to participate in a national fellowship program aimed at producing more science, technology and math teachers for the state’s neediest areas.
Gov. Nathan Deal announced Monday that five state institutions were chosen as sites for the Woodrow Wilson Georgia Teaching Fellowship.
Piedmont College, along with Columbus State, Kennesaw State, Georgia State and Mercer universities, will develop a master’s-level teacher preparation program with help from the Woodrow Wilson Foundation. Selected students will participate in a four-year program, including a 15-month teacher certification program followed by three years of required classroom teaching in a high-need Georgia school district.
The fellowship is aimed at a mix of current undergraduates, recent college graduates and professionals who have majored in, or had careers in, STEM fields.
Monday’s announcement came during one of the state legislature’s busiest days, and as candidate qualifying for upcoming races began. Deal, who is running for re-election against two GOP challengers — including state schools superintendent John Barge — has made education advances a tenet of his re-election campaign. Barge joined Deal and several school system superintendents and presidents of the selected colleges at Monday’s announcement.
“STEM education plays a critical role in our state’s competitiveness and future economic prosperity,” Deal said. “The most important thing we can do for our students in this field is ensure they have effective teachers.” The fellowship program will also help the University System of Georgia’s goal of producing 20,000 new teachers by 2020.
Georgia is the fifth state — along with Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and New Jersey — selected for the fellowship program. The five Georgia institutions will receive $400,00 in matching funds to develop the teaching programs. The schools have 19 months to tailor existing teaching programs to fit the fellowship program. Selected students, or fellows, will receive a $30,000 stipend to use during the program, and ongoing mentoring throughout the three-year teaching commitment.
Students will be selected next spring, and start the program in fall 2015. About 180 new STEM teachers are expected to complete the Georgia program over three years, said Stephanie Hull, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Woodrow Wilson Foundation.
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