2020 WW Pennsylvania Teaching Fellows Named

NEWS RELEASE 
FOR RELEASE: Thursday, July 23, 2020
CONTACT:  Frances Hannan | hannan@woodrow.org | (201) 587-4755

Pennsylvania Sustains Commitment To Cultivating Excellent STEM Teachers

PRINCETON, NJ (July 23, 2020)—As part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s continued effort to close achievement gaps and provide all students with high-quality teachers, the WW Foundation today announced the second class of Pennsylvania Teaching Fellows.

Twenty-eight individuals will be part of the second cohort of the WW Teaching Fellowship program in the state (Fellows’ names follow at the end of this release). They are about to begin their programs at Duquesne University, the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, and West Chester University.

The highly competitive program recruits both recent graduates and career changers with strong backgrounds in science, technology, engineering, and math—the STEM fields—and prepares them specifically to teach in high-need secondary schools.

“Pennsylvania is committed to investing in science and technology education and ensuring every student has access to great STEM teachers,” said Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf. “Our schools need well-prepared teachers more than ever, as they and their students grapple not only with remote learning and new formats, but also with the need to continue preparing Pennsylvanians for high-growth fields that will help to strengthen our economy. The work these Fellows will do is critical.”

Each WW Pennsylvania Teaching Fellow receives $32,000 to complete a specially designed, cutting-edge master’s degree program based on a yearlong clinical experience—including schools’ current remote and virtual learning arrangements. In return, Fellows commit to teach for three years in high-need Pennsylvania schools. Throughout the three-year commitment as a teacher of record at a public school, Fellows receive ongoing support and mentoring.

“The WW Teaching Fellowship connects passionate STEM experts with the students who need them the most,” WW Foundation President Rajiv Vinnakota said. “Not only will the program prepare each Fellow to be an excellent educator, it will also give them the practice, support, and network of peers needed to succeed throughout their careers in the classroom. And for our university partners, the Fellowship supports their continued efforts to recruit, prepare, and mentor STEM teachers in the high-need schools that need them most.”

The WW Teaching Fellowship launched in Pennsylvania in 2018. All three participating universities received $400,000 matching grants to develop their teacher preparation programs based on standards set by the WW Foundation. Over the program’s three years, the participating Pennsylvania universities will enroll 108 Fellows. The work at West Chester University will later be replicated on other campuses in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE).

The Pennsylvania program is supported by the William Penn Foundation, Highmark, AT&T, the Pennsylvania State Employees Credit Union, M&T Bank, the Weiss Family Foundation, Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education Foundation, and several other major individual donors. Given the state’s shortage of secondary-level STEM teachers, the foundation is looking for additional partners and funders to expand the program.

To date, more than 1,200 teachers have been prepared through the WW Teaching Fellowship program. Pennsylvania joins Georgia, Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, and Ohio as WW Teaching Fellowship states. More information on the Pennsylvania program can be found at: https://woodrow.org/fellowships/ww-teaching-fellowships/pennsylvania/.

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About the WW Foundation
Founded in 1945, the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation 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. In June 2020, the Foundation’s Board of Trustees voted unanimously to rename the organization and to remove Woodrow Wilson from its name; a new name will be announced by early fall.

2020 WW PENNSYLVANIA TEACHING FELLOWS

Duquesne University

• James Andry
• Amy Barvilchak
• Alexander Bowman
• Joseph Hayes
• Devin McPeek
• Cheyeanne Perez
• Alaina Turocy

University of Pennsylvania

• Sydney Barnes
• Jessica Duong
• Andrea Gade
• Justin Hopgood
• Tarzan MacMood
• Michael Mahoney
• Kaylyn Miller
• Martin Rios
• Luke Sanders
• Jessica Stuart
• Madison Wardlaw

West Chester University

• Stephan Brandstadter
• Ryan Clark
• Elijah Hayes-Olivera
• Charles Hudgins
• Baxter Krug
• Jessica Link
• Ryan McGuire
• Nicholas Pinto
• Emily Wagner
• Holly Wentworth