DETROIT - Wayne State University has selected the first class of 15 W. K. Kellogg Foundation Woodrow Wilson Michigan Teaching Fellows. Each fellow will receive $30,000 to pursue teacher certification and employment in Detroit's underserved schools.
Funded by a $16.7 million W. K. Kellogg Foundation grant and administered by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, the W. K. Kellogg Foundation's Woodrow Wilson (WKKF-WW) Michigan Teaching Fellowships support qualified candidates for 14 months as they earn teacher certification and for the following year as they teach while finishing their master of arts in teaching (M.A.T.) degrees. Fellows commit to teach in high-need urban or rural secondary schools.
"We need great teachers and great teaching to support our development of the highest quality education in Michigan," Governor Rick Snyder said. "The teachers in this fellowship program will bring their much-needed expertise in key disciplines to some of our schools in which the need is greatest. We want our students to have every opportunity for success in this global economy. Greater exposure to these key subjects will provide that foundation."
Wayne State is one of six Michigan universities chosen by the Woodrow Wilson Foundation to participate in the program. The first cohort of Wayne State fellows will complete teacher certification in spring 2012 and begin teaching a few months later.
Fellows will work in classrooms, learning how to convey complicated scientific or technical ideas to teens predominantly from disadvantaged backgrounds. Fellows will refine their classroom skills by working closely with veteran teachers.
These "clinical" experiences parallel a proven model for educating physicians that is used throughout the nation's medical schools. Fellows also will attend university seminars that build on classroom work and complete additional coursework toward their M.A.T.s.
This year's inaugural class of Wayne State University fellows is:
• Jenna Bourdeau (St. Clair Shores)
• Michael Cosnowski (Roseville)
• Andrea Ewasek (Livonia)
• Yolanda Gandy (Southfield)
• Damon Gatewood (Detroit)
• Gabrielle Griffey (Madison Heights)
• Satonyia Griffin (Dearborn Heights)
• Paul Hartzer (Ferndale)
• Tamara Matthews (Redford Township)
• Aria Moody (Detroit)
• Christina Roy (Davison)
• Dora Sanchez-Mead (Lathrup Village)
• DeAndre Smith (Detroit)
• Nicole Thomas (Detroit)
• Jordan Williams (St. Clair Shores)
More information about the WKKF-WW Michigan Teaching Fellowship is available online at http://wayne.edu/wwfellowship/.
Wayne State University is a premier urban research university offering more than 400 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to nearly 32,000 students.