Cleveland State University and CMSD have again received a national award that recognizes an outstanding partnership between a university and an urban school district.
The District and Cleveland State won the Dr. Shirley S. Schwartz Urban Education Impact Award for the Cleveland Teaching Fellowship program. The program gives qualified candidates student teaching experience with CMSD, and many have remained with the schools after graduation.
"The Cleveland Teaching Fellowship benefits all involved," CMSD Chief Executive Officer Eric Gordon said. "The student teachers bring a fresh perspective and knowledge of new techniques, while we get a chance to show off the amazing work we do every day and dispel myths about working in an urban district."
The program, which receives support from the Cleveland Foundation, has drawn 233 student teachers since it began in 2015, and 70 now work in the District.
“The fellowship has attracted some of our most talented students at CSU and deployed them into CMSD classrooms where they are making a tremendous impact,” Sajit Zachariah, vice president of CSUOnline and former dean of the College of Education, now the College of Education and Public Affairs, said. “Our fellows are better prepared for the challenges faced in their first year of teaching.”
CSU and CMSD received the award during the Council of the Great City Schools’ fall conference, held Oct. 19-23 in Orlando, FL.
The Council of the Great City Schools is a voice for 77 of the nation’s largest school districts. The award is presented by the Council of the Great City Colleges of Education, an affiliate.
The university and district also won the award in 2016 for their collaboration at Campus International K-8, a CMSD International Baccalaureate school located at CSU. The university provides Campus K-8 with a faculty advisor to help with curriculum, as well as student teachers and other resources.
CMSD and Cleveland State previously won the first Urban Education Impact Award in 2011 for their partnership in the Master of Urban Secondary Teaching program.