FOR RELEASE: Wednesday, January 6, 2015

CONTACT: Patrick Riccards | Chief Communications and Strategy Officer | (703) 298-8283

Indiana Commission for Higher Education Awards Woodrow Wilson Foundation $1.3 Million to Prepare STEM Teachers for High-Need Schools

STEM Teacher Recruitment Fund Grant to Support Ongoing Indiana Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowship Efforts in Hoosier State

PRINCETON, NJ (January 6, 2016)—Building on six years of successes in recruiting, preparing, and supporting excellent educators for Indiana’s high-need schools, the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation today announced that it has received a $1.3 million grant from the Indiana Commission for Higher Education to continue its STEM teacher preparation efforts for urban and rural communities in the Hoosier State.

The award to the Woodrow Wilson Foundation was part of $9.6 million in total grants awarded by the State of Indiana to support programs that help address teacher shortages in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) subject areas. In total, 13 organizations and colleges received grants through the state’s Teacher Recruitment Fund, established by the Indiana General Assembly in 2013.

“Because of the Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowship and its university partners, high-need Indiana schools now have more of the exemplary STEM teachers they both need and deserve,” Woodrow Wilson Foundation President Arthur Levine said. “We are excited to continue our work with our partners to recruit and prepare another class of Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellows. Together, we are ensuring that students attending Indiana’s urban and rural high-need schools receive a high-quality STEM education, putting them on the path to success.”

Last summer, the Woodrow Wilson Foundation announced that 49 Fellows had been selected as part of its 2015 class of the WW Indiana Teaching Fellowship program in the state, offered at Ball State University, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Purdue University, University of Indianapolis, and Valparaiso University. The highly competitive program recruits both recent graduates and career changers with strong backgrounds in the STEM fields and prepares them specifically to teach in high-need secondary schools.

In announcing the sixth class of Woodrow Wilson Indiana Teaching Fellows this past July, Levine noted:

• Woodrow Wilson Indiana Teaching Fellows are 1.9 times more likely to remain teachers in Indiana’s public high-need schools, compared to non-Fellow teachers;
• Ninety percent of Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellows have field STEM certification, compared to just 20 percent of non-Fellow peers; and
• Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellows are currently teaching in 40 of the state’s 92 counties.

“Everyone knows good teachers make the difference,” Indiana Gov. Mike Pence said in announcing last year’s Fellows. “The Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellows and Woodrow Wilson MBA Fellows in Education Leadership exemplify Hoosiers working to make positive changes in the lives of our students. Their leadership will help ensure that Indiana students have the opportunity for a high-quality education, and I am honored to recognize the 2015 classes of both outstanding programs as they strive to make education work for all of our children.”

The Teaching Fellowship focuses on preparing top-quality educators for many of Indiana’s most underserved public schools. Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellows commit to teach for three years in the urban and rural Indiana schools that most need strong STEM teachers. Throughout the three-year commitment, Teaching Fellows receive ongoing support and mentoring.

The Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowship partners with a wide range of schools across the state, including Anderson Community School Corporation, Fort Wayne, Decatur Township, Gary Community School Corporation, Indianapolis Public Schools, Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township, Metropolitan School District of Perry Township, Metropolitan School District of Warren Township, Michigan City Area Schools, Muncie Community Schools, Portage Township Schools, Purdue University Rural School Network, School City of East Chicago, Thea Bowman Leadership Academy, Washington Township, and Wayne Township. It also works with charter schools such as Charles A. Tindley Accelerated School, Christel House Academy, Herron High School, Lighthouse Academies, and Indianapolis Metropolitan High School.

Indiana is one of five states where Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellows are currently working, along with Georgia, Michigan, New Jersey, and Ohio.

For more information on the Indiana Teaching Fellowship program, please visit woodrow.org/fellowships/ww-teaching-fellowships/indiana/.

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About the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation
Founded in 1945, the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation (www.woodrow.org) identifies and develops the nation’s best minds to meet its most critical challenges. The Foundation supports its Fellows as the next generation of leaders shaping American society.

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