Pearson Teacher Fellowship Provides Young Educators Opportunity to Make a Difference

18 July 2007

Boston, MA July 18, 2007 – Consider this: Fifty percent of all children from low-income families begin first grade up to two years behind their peers in preschool skills. Five-year-olds from low-income communities have one-fourth the vocabulary of their mid-income peers. These and other statistics illustrate the direct correlation between poverty and lack of school readiness.

“Need has no face, no race, no native language, no skin color,” said Emily Muise, one of 24 recent college graduates beginning their teaching careers this year as part of the prestigious Pearson Teacher Fellowship, which in conjunction with the national non-profit group Jumpstart supports the placement of highly motivated preschool teachers in low-income community schools across the U.S.

The Pearson Teacher Fellowship works in conjunction with Jumpstart’s core program, which pairs college students one-to-one with at-risk children to strengthen each child’s language, literacy, and emotional development.

Following a summer of intensive training, the new Fellows will begin their teaching careers in the fall at preschools in fifteen cities across eleven states.

By supporting new teachers in their quest to help young students realize their full academic potential, the Pearson Teacher Fellowship furthers Jumpstart's mission of working toward the day every child in America enters school prepared to succeed. This program provides more teachers for the field of early childhood education, expands the number of children reached by a well-trained, college-educated adult, and offers invaluable experience to the Fellows.

“The Pearson Teacher Fellowship has now helped more than 140 talented college graduates become pre-school teachers in underserved areas across the country,” said Mark Nieker, president, Pearson Foundation. “Jumpstart and the Pearson businesses share a passion for education and inspiring people to reach their full potential, which is at the heart of the Teacher Fellowship program.”

“Improving the quality of early education and the school readiness of America’s youngest children is not possible without improving the quality of individuals teaching preschoolers,” said George Askew, MD, CEO and president of Jumpstart. “Pearson’s support of Jumpstart and our Teaching Fellows allows us to make a measurable difference in the lives of children.”

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About The Pearson Teacher Fellowship

Jumpstart and Pearson created the Pearson Teacher Fellowship in 2001. Each year, the Pearson Teacher Fellowship provides the opportunity for a select group of achievement-oriented college graduates to enter the early education field by becoming preschool teachers in Head Start and other early learning centers serving at-risk children. The Fellowship provides qualified individuals with a stipend, intensive training, and membership in a network of teachers and early childhood professionals who provide continued support throughout the school year. For more details, please visit us on the web at www.jstart.org/pearson or e-mail .

About Jumpstart

Jumpstart is a national early education organization that works toward the day every child in America enters school prepared to succeed. Through extraordinary attention in yearlong one-to-one relationships, Jumpstart inspires children to learn, adults to teach, families to get involved, and communities to progress together. Headquartered in Boston, Jumpstart pairs 3,100 trained adults one-to-one with preschool children in need of assistance. During the 2006-2007 program year, Jumpstart is serving nearly 12,000 children in 64 communities across 19 states and the District of Columbia, in partnership with 250 Head Start and other early learning centers across the country. Jumpstart’s national sponsors include American Eagle Outfitters, AmeriCorps, Pearson, Sodexho, and Starbucks. Jumpstart is the recipient of the Fast Company/Monitor Social Capitalist Award (2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007) and the Committee to Encourage Corporate Philanthropy’s Directors Award. For more information, visit the Jumpstart Web site at www.jstart.org.

About Pearson

Pearson is the global leader in educational publishing, assessment, information and services, helping people of all ages to learn at their own pace, in their own way. For students preK-12, Pearson provides effective and innovative curriculum products in all available media, educational assessment and measurement for students and teachers, student information systems, and teacher professional development and certification programs. Our respected brands include Scott Foresman, Prentice Hall, AGS, Powerschool, SuccessMaker, TeacherVision, and many others. Our comprehensive offerings help inform targeted instruction and intervention so that success is within reach of every student. Pearson's other primary businesses include the Financial Times Group and the Penguin Group.

Contact:

Jumpstart
Katie Rahm
857.413.4624

Pearson Foundation
Rod Granger
212-641-6114

NOTE TO EDITORS:

The Pearson Teacher Fellows for 2007-2009 are:

  • Tekina Adams (Houston Community College)

  • Hannah Bingman (Temple University)

  • Emily Coffey (Wheelock College)

  • Katherine Condran (Washington State University – Pullman)

  • Mary Ann Dajero (University of California – Irvine)

  • Lawrie Fitzgerald (Simmons College)

  • Lara Goetsch (University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire)

  • Kathleen Kuhl (George Washington University)

  • Jenni Kwok (San Francisco State University)

  • Yee Ping Lee (Harvard Graduate School of Education)

  • Linda Luna (Pitzer College)

  • Emily Muise (Le Moyne College)

  • Sharon Nicholson (Borough of Manhattan Community College)

  • Vanessa Palomino (University of Wisconsin – Madison)

  • Channea Parham (Texas Southern University)

  • Shania Pham (University of Missouri – Kansas City)

  • Carter Ramsey (Hobart and William Smith Colleges)

  • Heather Robertson (Ohio State University – Zanesville)

  • Dezzarea Schwartzmiller (University of Pittsburgh)

  • Laura Shea (Wheelock College)

  • Stefany Tobel (Tufts University)

  • Kristin Wickline (De Paul University)

  • Meghan Wilson (Wheelock College)

  • Jia Xu (California State University – Fullerton)