Troy Student Commits to Teaching in High-Need Areas

The following information was provided in a press release.

Maya Smolcic of Troy is among 51 WKKF-WW Michigan Teaching Fellows who will each receive $30,000 to complete a specially designed master's degree program based on a yearlong classroom experience. In return, Fellows commit to teach for three years in Michigan’s high-need urban and rural secondary schools.

The 2013 class is Michigan's third group of Fellows for this program, launched by the Kellogg Foundation in 2009 with $18 million in support and administered by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation in Princeton.

The program ultimately will provide more than 100,000 students with the level of instruction they need to contribute and thrive in Michigan's rapidly changing economy and workforce. Numerous studies have demonstrated that students in high-need schools are significantly less likely to have access to such teachers, particularly in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields.

"The research is clear – the most important factor affecting the quality of a student's education is the quality of the classroom teacher. Beyond that, effective educators can make a powerful and lasting impact on students in ways that can’t be measured by test scores and report cards," said Sterling Speirn, president and CEO of the Kellogg Foundation.

Campuses working with the Fellows include Eastern Michigan University, Grand Valley State University, Michigan State University, the University of Michigan, Wayne State University and Western Michigan University. These universities partner with local school districts where Fellows learn to teach in real classrooms from the beginning of their master's work, just as physicians learn in teaching hospitals. The 10 partner districts for these clinical placements, up from nine last year, include Battle Creek, Benton Harbor, Comstock, Detroit, Godfrey-Lee, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Muskegon, Wyoming and Ypsilanti.

"Michigan's economic future will be driven by the STEM fields," said Arthur Levine, president of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation. "Getting strong math and science teachers into Michigan's high-need schools means both creating opportunities for the young people who most need them and building the state’s workforce. There's no greater need in Michigan education today, and we think these Fellows will do a tremendous job in helping to meet that need. They are amazing people, and they will change tens of thousands of lives."