University Partners
Many teacher preparation programs are comprised of traditional university coursework, with only brief exposure to a practicum—“student teaching”—at the end of the program. The Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowship is designed to provide intensive classroom experience from the beginning, along with content-rich courses that specifically prepare candidates to teach in their fields of expertise. By offering this preparation in the context of a master’s degree program, the Fellowship also enables new teachers to begin their classroom careers with an important and rewarding credential already in hand.
Teacher Preparation
While the program of study varies among the fourteen institutions, each university offers a master’s degree, redesigned in consultation with the Woodrow Wilson Foundation. Each program encompasses a rigorous curriculum coupled with intensive clinical experiences, with the goal of giving Fellows the best possible preparation for advancing student learning in middle- and high-school classrooms and for a successful teaching career.
In the application, candidates can rank in their order of preference the participating universities. This directly impacts where Fellows will teach, since each university is partnered with several secondary schools in its area. If you have special circumstances that may limit how far you can travel to complete the master’s program, the application contains a section to note extenuating circumstances (Section VI), which will be taken into consideration when your application is reviewed. However, Fellows are urged to remain as open and flexible as possible about university placement.
Continued Support
Each university has a program coordinator who will oversee the teaching Fellowship and work with teaching Fellows to ensure that they are satisfied with their degree program, that they are progressing well, and that they develop a strong relationship with colleagues in the school(s) where they receive clinical preparation. The partner institution will continue to work with Fellows once they become certified teachers and begin teaching full-time, to help them transition to the classroom and address challenges in their work.
Learn more about the university partners in each state: