Some teachers could get pay for master’s degree

A grant is established to pay for some students’ masters degrees in teaching in return for them to stay in Michigan.

To establish a new statewide teaching fellowship program, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation has awarded the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation with a $16.7 million grant.

The Woodrow Wilson Michigan Teaching Fellowship is being offered in 2011 to college seniors, recent college graduates and teachers who have been teaching for years, said Beverly Sanford, Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation’s vice president for communications.

“We believe it is crucial for the future of Michigan,” Sanford said.

Every school district in Michigan received a $165 per-pupil cut for next year in addition to the $127 per-pupil cut from Gov. Jennifer Granholm in the state budget.

The grant will offer $30,000 per person to complete a master’s program with the teachers commitment to teach in Michigan for at least three years in a high-need school after completion of the teacher education program, according to a press release.

“Over a period of five years, almost 20,000 Michigan public school systems will receive high-quality education in science, technology, engineering and math from these new teachers,” said Megan Brown, spokeswoman for Granholm.

Training teachers

Sanford said the universities that will participate in the Teaching Fellowship will be announced in January. Each university will be working with 20 teachers.
In January, the participating Michigan school districts also will be announced, Brown said.

“It’s going to train 240 new math and science teachers to teach in middle and high schools who desperately need teachers in these subjects,” Brown said.

Many research studies show the most important factor in improving how students learn is having an effective teacher in the classroom, Sanford said.

“Until we can really provide effective teachers in all classrooms, especially those in high-need schools, overcoming the achievement gap the nation is facing is quite difficult until we can really provide effective teachers to all of those classrooms,” Sanford said.

Sanford said high-need schools are decided based off the neighborhoods they are in and the amount of resources in the area.

“We believe it will transform education for both children and teachers and that it will prepare our kids for 21st-century jobs,” Brown said.