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PSS to form fellowship network
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Posted on Dec 13 2000
The U.S. Department of Education has granted the Public School System additional funding to create a network of former, current and future Christa McAuliffe Fellowship recipients in efforts to establish an exclusive group dedicated toward the professional development of teachers.
The Washington-based funding agency awards every year 10 Christa McAuliffe fellowships to PSS teachers worth $2,500 each to support either classroom or staff development projects, including assessment studies which must be completed by the end of each school year.
According to Federal Programs Officer Bill Matson, the additional funding received can not be used to further award fellowships as the monies were savings generated by efforts to reduce the administrative costs of the program from the amount awarded solely for administrative overhead.
“The PSS last year, for instance, was able to reduce administrative expenditures by hundreds of dollars below that authorized for our use, and now these funds can be used to support the fellows,” said Mr. Matson.
Meanwhile, the priority areas that teacher recipients can opt to pursue include research on school improvement using standards development, assessment design, learning technology for classrooms, or development of innovative programs and partnerships between the business community and the schools.
The school system will be holding award ceremonies and workshops to establish an actual “fellowship” among former, ongoing, and future McAuliffe scholars in the development of their applications and programs.
The Christa McAuliffe fellowship for teachers is applicable for teachers with at least eight years of classroom teaching experience. Applicants must be able to document these years of service. The fellowships should be for development expenses with little or no equipment or materials being purchased.
Applications to three fellowships left untapped as of last month are due on or before Dec. 22, 2000. PSS has so far awarded a total of seven fellowships. Application forms are available at the PSS Federal Programs Office.
Moreover, former McAuliffe recipients are advised to contact to coordinate with PSS on the formation of the fellowship network.
