KPS Students To Benefit From $16.7 Million Teaching Fellowship

Governor Granholm recently announced a new Michigan teaching fellowship valued at $16.7 million that will benefit 20,000 public school students in the state including students in Kalamazoo Public Schools. President Barack Obama described the Michigan effort as a model to inspire students to excel in math and science.

The fellowship, named after the two donors, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowship, will fund fellowships for 240 students who are studying to become secondary math or science teachers. In the program six Michigan Universities, including Western Michigan University, will each receive $500,000 to redesign their teacher education programs in math and science. Fellows will receive a $30,000 stipend while in college to complete the program.

The first team of fellows is expected to start teaching in 2012. They will be placed in one of five school districts including Kalamazoo Public Schools. KPS Superintendent Michael F. Rice said, “This fellowship program presents a great opportunity to create a stronger math and science teacher pipeline in Michigan, which in turn should increase student achievement and influence student career interests in the future.”