Dozens of area teachers will receive professional development and mentorship aimed at improving student outcomes
TAMPA, Fla. (May 2, 2018) – The University of South Florida College of Education will soon launch a new fellowship program to provide science teachers in the Tampa Bay region with the tools they need to become more effective instructors, advance science education curriculum and achieve greater student success.
Through a $1 million grant awarded to USF by Wipro Limited, a select group of talented science teachers in Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco County school districts will join the Tampa Bay Wipro Science Education Fellowship Program. For each of the next three years, the program will welcome a new cohort of 20 science teachers who will undergo 250 hours of intense capability development training while continuing to teach in their respective schools.
Facilitated by USF faculty members Allan Feldman, Karl Jung and David Allsopp, the project will provide opportunities for teachers to engage in lesson planning and research activities to develop improvement programs for science curriculum in their schools. Participants will also work alongside a USF faculty mentor to better improve their individual professional development.
“As part of the Wipro Science Education Fellowship program, we join a nationwide effort in which teachers and administrators from different districts engage in professional development together to exchange ideas and innovative practice,” Feldman, a professor of science education and the principal investigator for the project, said. “Participants in this fellowship program will gain important knowledge and skills needed to work with their colleagues to improve science teaching and learning across all levels and subjects.”
The program tailors to the needs of its participants by utilizing the goals of the Wipro Science Education Fellowship Program. The program trains educators to build leadership skills and teaching excellence within science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines by leveraging research-validated expertise from participating universities and designing transformative instructional experiences for under-funded K-12 schools.
“The USF College of Education and David C. Anchin Center are excited to have received this important award,” Allsopp, assistant dean for educator preparation and partnerships and director of the David C. Anchin Center, explained. “This project will help to address the severe needs local school districts have with respect to teachers who can elevate the science outcomes for students across the K-12 curriculum.”
The program will welcome its first cohort of educators at an induction ceremony from 4:30 – 6 p.m. on May 7 on the USF campus in Tampa. The program will begin in August 2018.
About the University of South Florida
The University of South Florida, established in 1956 and located in Tampa, is a high-impact, global research university dedicated to student success. The USF System includes three, separately accredited institutions: USF; USF St. Petersburg; and USF Sarasota-Manatee. Serving more than 49,000 students, the USF System has an annual budget of $1.6 billion and an annual economic impact of $4.4 billion. USF ranks in the Top 30 nationally for research expenditures among public universities, according to the National Science Foundation. In 2016, the Florida Legislature designated USF as “Emerging Preeminent,” placing USF in an elite category among the state’s 12 public universities. USF is a member of the American Athletic Conference.