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LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A new class of 43 people was selected to participate in a program to develop science, technology, engineering and math teachers for several Michigan rural and urban school districts, officials announced Wednesday.
The fourth group of recruits will receive $30,000 to pursue master's degrees at one of several state universities. The program selects people seeking different careers or recent college graduates in the so-called STEM fields.
This year's fellows include an engineer who mentors new mothers, a physicist who has worked at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and a zookeeper.
They will teach in districts including Ann Arbor, Battle Creek, Benton Harbor, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Muskegon and Ypsilanti. The Battle Creek-based W.K. Kellogg Foundation launched the program in 2009 that's administered by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation.
"Michigan needs to develop talent for in-demand jobs so our students are best prepared for long and productive careers," Gov. Rick Snyder said in a statement. "The (foundations) should be commended for working to train people, many with experience in the STEM fields, to work in our urban schools, where they will share their knowledge as well as become an inspiration to young students."
Michigan's program, which launched with $18 million from the Kellogg Foundation, has named 239 fellows to date. Other states involved in the program include Georgia, Indiana, New Jersey, Ohio and Wisconsin.
Wilson foundation officials said Indiana and Wisconsin also are launching the MBA Fellowship in Education Leadership, a program developed by both business and education schools and aimed at prospective school principals and leaders.
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