ST. LOUIS — The James S. McDonnell Foundation has awarded a six-year, $4 million grant to the University of Missouri - St. Louis and its College of Education.
The grant, which was given to associate professor Natalie Bolton and co-principal investigators, establish the St. Louis Translational Fellowships in Education. The fellowship program will work on "embedding the science of learning best practices into daily K-12 instruction and the subsequent impact on educators and students," officials said in a statement.
Funds from the grant will also go toward hiring up to 18 full-time postdoctoral fellows for two-year inquiry cycles over a six-year period, the university said.
"College of Education faculty and staff are already working across the region as strong partners for our P-12 colleagues, and this grant allows us to further that work with another ground-breaking project, where critical research-based thinking is brought together with the complex world of school practice," College of Education Dean Ann Taylor said in a statement. "That is the transitional work we believe in. It is hard work, but these are exciting times as we learn together with diversity, equity and excellence as our goals."
Bolton is a member of the Department of Educator Preparation and Leadership and will serve as principal investigator on this project, along with co-principal investigators Phyllis Balcerzak and Chanau Ross. In addition, Cody Ding, Keith Miller, Megan Rooney-Kron, Susan Marino and Thurma DeLoach will support implementing the new program, officials said.
The group of investigators will administer the program, provide mentorship and place fellows in UMSL charter schools, which include six public charter elementary, middle and K-8 schools, and K-12 public schools within UMSL's Studio School program.
The program will begin recruiting fellows this spring and the program itself will launch Aug. 1, officials said. To be considered for the fellowship program, candidates must have received an EdD or PhD within the past three years in education, psychology or learning sciences.
Read more of the story on the St. Louis Business Journal website.
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