William Paterson University Selected to Participate in Pioneering Woodrow Wilson New Jersey Teaching Fellowship Program

William Paterson University is one of five New Jersey colleges and universities selected to prepare math and science teachers for high-need schools.

William Paterson University is one of five New Jersey colleges and universities selected to participate in the new Woodrow Wilson New Jersey Teaching Fellowship Program, which will recruit top science, technology, engineering, and math college graduates and career changers to prepare them to teach in high-need schools.

The program, which ultimately seeks to transform the way teacher candidates are prepared, was created by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation with nearly $9 million in support from a consortium of foundations and private funders.

“Excellence in education begins in the classroom,” said New Jersey Governor Chris Christie in making the announcement. “Today, we are taking another important step to ensure our teachers are prepared before they are placed in high-need schools. It only makes sense that we give our teachers the experience and the tools they need before they are placed in challenging environments. Thanks to the Woodrow Wilson Foundation and our five New Jersey higher education institutions participating in this program, teachers will be ready to make a difference in struggling districts where their help is needed most.”

“We are thrilled to be among the New Jersey colleges and universities selected to participate in the Woodrow Wilson New Jersey Teaching Fellowship program and to continue with our commitment to addressing the shortage of math and science teachers in our state,” says Candace Burns, dean of the University’s College of Education. “The College of Education, in partnership with the College of Science and Health, has a long history of preparing excellent science and math teachers, particularly for high-needs districts, and we are excited to have the opportunity to collaborate even more intensively to develop innovative curriculum with our University colleagues and partner school districts.”

The University will develop a model, master’s level teacher preparation program for teacher candidates selected for the program that integrates coursework with a school-based clinical experience. William Paterson will partner with the Paterson and Passaic school districts to create a rigorous one-year residency program in their classrooms, a clinically based approach similar to that of medical schools.

Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellows receive $30,000 stipends to use during the master's program. In exchange, they commit to teach in a high-need urban or rural school in New Jersey for three years, with ongoing mentoring.

In addition to William Paterson, other participating institutions are The College of New Jersey, Montclair State University, Rowan University, and Rutgers University-Camden.