Fellowship Program Supports Urban Educators

For many education professionals who work in the challenging worlds of urban school districts, nonprofit organizations, or charter schools, taking a year off to focus on their own education can seem unattainable. But for 14 master’s students at HGSE this year, the dream became a reality because of the Urban Scholars Fellowship Program, which provides full tuition and fees for its recipients.

Founded in 2006, the fellowship financially supports incoming students with top academic records who have already demonstrated a commitment to urban education through at least three years of service. Chosen from across HGSE’s 13 master’s programs, the Urban Scholars participate in an interdisciplinary curriculum throughout the year in addition to their coursework. Jennifer Petrallia, assistant dean for master’s studies at HGSE, leads the curriculum and says, “It is designed to help fellows closely examine critical issues related to urban education and to expose them to leading researchers and practitioners in the field.”

“It’s a glimpse of Harvard that most people don’t get,” says Urban Scholar Sarah Zuckerman, Ed.M.’13, who taught art for nine years in Indianapolis Public Schools before entering HGSE’s Arts in Education Program. “It was fantastic to sit down in a small, intimate group and hear from great minds, people who have done incredible work in the field. They also turned the tables and asked us questions: What can we do now to improve education? What can we do in 10 years? We talked about the application of all this educational theory we are learning.”

As the Urban Scholars pursue their degrees in various areas of the education field through their coursework, the program provides dynamic cross-pollination with fellow students and with the speakers.

“The speakers saw us as colleagues,” says Katelyn Allen, Ed.M.’13, an Urban Scholar in HGSE’s Language and Literacy Program who taught in Camden, N.J. through Teach For America (TFA) and has also worked for a community foundation in Philadelphia. “They saw us as people who would work alongside them in this field, and they shared wisdom with us as people, not just as scholars.”

The peer-to-peer learning sparked by the diversity of interests represented in the program is also a valuable part of the student experience. The dialogues at Urban Scholars sessions provide a counterpoint to the daily and weekly discussions in the classroom.

“This is like an idea factory,” Allen explains. “Everyone’s ideas get so well refined in this environment. It’s fascinating to be with people from different cohorts and see all the lenses they bring to different issues. We have people with teaching experience from all over the country.”

“It’s motivating to be around these people who have great ideas,” says Kieran Palmer-Klein, Ed.M.’13, an Urban Scholar in the School Leadership Program who came to HGSE after spending six years with Teach For America in Chicago. “It can also be a little intimidating! The program opened my eyes to all the skills you need to be a great school leader.”

This summer, Palmer-Klein will move to Detroit, where he will serve as the assistant principal of a new elementary charter school. After the school’s inaugural year, he will assume the principalship. “My plan was to go to medical school after teaching for a couple of years,” he admits. “But as a TFA member, I realized how much my school needed better teachers. Education has a great need for human capital.”

The other Urban Scholars agree. Despite the diversity of their experiences, they share a deep commitment to bringing high-quality education to urban students. Their time at HGSE has fostered connections with peers and faculty members, in and out of the Urban Scholars Program, who share that passion.

“I taught fifth grade in Camden, so I taught all subjects,” Allen says. “My kids taught me so much. They were so far behind, but most of them achieved advanced proficiency by the end of the year. I realized that dedicated teachers really make the difference in closing the achievement gap.”

“My time in Chicago gave me a good view of what’s happening in the dark corners of education that nobody really looks into,” Palmer-Klein adds. “But it’s also possible to make serious gains there.” During his last two years in Chicago, Palmer-Klein’s biology students passed the Advanced Placement exam at a rate higher than the national average.

As the Urban Scholars prepare for life after HGSE, they plan to stay in touch and continue to exchange ideas. By facilitating conversation and providing support, the program has helped prepare its students to scale up their work in urban education.

This summer, Allen will return to New Jersey to work on a team creating plans for the lowest-performing schools in the state. “I’m addressing the same issue, the achievement gap, but in a broader sense,” she says. “The achievement gap has so many facets, and it’s wonderful to be part of a cohort at HGSE committed to the whole child, to see everyone in the room approaching the challenges from different angles. It made me hopeful, especially as we all go out into the field.”

Zuckerman agrees. “We’re all deeply invested in and committed to education in our cities,” she says. “It’s great to see the problems of urban education attacked in lots of different ways. We’ve also formed a network, and I’m excited to be able to reach out to them as we move on from here.”