Public School Teachers Named Yale National Fellows

Leading Development of New Teachers Institutes

The national seminar on "Chemistry of Everyday Things," July 2011. (Left to right: National Fellows Ellen Shackelford, New Castle County; Marlene M. Gutierrez, San Mateo County; Lesia Whitehurst, Emery Unified; Nancy VanKirk, Washington; Deborah A. James, New Haven; Rajendra K. Jaini, Richmond; Jane B. Gerughty, San Mateo County; seminar leader Gary W. Brudvig; and National Fellow Sally J. Martin, Pittsburgh.)

Sixty-five public school teachers from sixteen school districts in nine states have been chosen to participate in national seminars and an Intensive Session as part of the Yale National Initiative to strengthen teaching in public schools®.

Forty four of the teachers, named Yale National Fellows, are from school districts that are planning or exploring the establishment of a new Teachers Institute for Chicago, IL; Diné Nation, AZ; Emeryville, CA; Richmond, VA; San José, CA; San Mateo County, CA, and Tulsa, OK. Other National Fellows come from Teachers Institutes that are members of the League of Teachers Institutes® located in Charlotte, NC; New Castle County, DE; New Haven, CT; Philadelphia, PA; and Pittsburgh, PA.

The dual purposes of the national seminars are to provide public school teachers deeper knowledge of the subjects they teach and first-hand experience with the Teachers Institute approach to high-quality professional development. This increases their leadership in a League Teachers Institute or prepares them to lead the development of a new Teachers Institute. Each participating teacher writes a curriculum unit to teach his or her students what they learn in seminar and to share with other teachers in their school district and, over the Internet, with teachers anywhere. The curriculum units support the academic standards of the teachers’ school districts and assist the teachers in engaging and educating the students in their school courses.

The seminars, which begin on May 3 and conclude in mid-August, include:

  • "Energy Sciences," led by Gary W. Brudvig, Professor of Chemistry and of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry;
  • "Picture Writing," led by Janice Carlisle, Professor of English;
  • "Interpreting Texts, Making Meaning: Starting Small," led by Paul H. Fry, Professor of English;
  • "The Art of Biography," led by John L. Gaddis, Professor of History and of Political Science;
  • "Invisible Cities: The Arts and Renewable Community," led by Joseph R. Roach, Sterling Professor of Theater and Professor of English, of African American Studies, and of American Studies; and
  • "Genetic Engineering and Human Health," led by W. Mark Saltzman, Professor of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering.

Participants in the two-week Intensive Session in July, who live on the Yale campus, will include not only the Yale National Fellows but also college and university faculty members who have led or may lead local Teachers Institute seminars at partner colleges and universities around the country. Between July 8 and 19, Fellows will attend daily seminar meetings and will confer individually with their seminar leaders. Superintendents and other school officials will accompany the National Fellows when they return to Yale for the Annual Conference on October 18-19.

One National Fellow will serve as the Coordinator of each seminar. The Coordinators are Carol P. Boynton of New Haven, Laura A. Carroll-Koch of New Haven, Cheree M. Charmello of Pittsburgh, Crecia Cipriano of New Haven, Eric J. Laurenson of Pittsburgh, and Barbara A. Prillaman of New Castle County, Delaware.

The Yale National Initiative to strengthen teaching in public schools, now in its ninth year, is a long-term endeavor to influence public policy on teacher professional development, in part by establishing exemplary Teachers Institutes for high-need schools in states around the country. Following the approach developed in New Haven and implemented in other cities, it builds upon the success of a four-year National Demonstration Project.

Teachers Institutes are educational partnerships between universities and school districts designed to strengthen teaching and learning in a community’s public schools. The League of Teachers Institutes is an alliance that advances their work locally and nationally. Evaluations have shown that the Institute approach exemplifies the characteristics of high-quality teacher professional development, enhances teacher quality in the ways known to improve student achievement, and encourages participants to remain in teaching in their schools.