PEF’s Role

PEF sponsors the Osborne Fellows Initiative, provides resources and meeting space in our Ruth S. Holmberg Leadership facility, and coordinates the training of the Fellows with the UTC graduate school. The directors of the program are Leslie Graitcer of PEF and Dr. Larry Garrison, UTC Graduate School professor.

Mission, Goals & Strategies

The mission of the Osborne Fellows Initiative is to develop, support, honor and retain exceptional teachers committed to Chattanooga’s urban schools. The content of the master’s degree program relates to issues specific to low-income learners, urban communities and to their schools’ reform priorities. Their continued presence in these schools contributes to the stability and professionalism needed to turn around urban schools.

The Osborne Fellows Initiative has three goals:

• Teaching Excellence: developing skilled teachers of literacy who are prepared to meet the learning needs of urban students;
• Student Achievement: preparing teachers to promote accelerated student learning and grade-level literacy; and
• Teacher Retention: creating new models of teaching leadership that enhances student learning in urban schools and communities.

Funding & Evaluation

Funding is provided by a $1.5 million grant from the Weldon F. Osborne Foundation of Chattanooga and a $500,000 matching grant from PEF. The educational research team of Corbett and Wilson evaluates the program while local educators track the academic progress of Osborne Fellows and their students.

Program Attributes & Delivery

The master’s degree program consists of 36 course hours (plus in-school study groups) earned over a two-year period. Teacher coaches from Hamilton County visit Fellows in their classrooms to help them translate theory into practice.

• Topics of study include: literacy, teaching to non-English speakers, multi-cultural education, teaching to diverse learning styles, socio-cultural effects of poverty, classroom management techniques, assessment, etc.
• Courses are taught at 4-hour monthly seminars on Fridays and Saturdays, followed by semi-monthly study group workshops.
• Clinical experiences include classroom demonstrations and feedback sessions between Fellows and Faculty Coaches.
• All Osborne Fellows give a presentation of their research project portfolio at the end of the two-year program.

Osborne Leadership Series

Osborne Fellows graduates (nicknamed “Ozzies”) are offered a series of experiences designed to provide them with concrete skills and dispositions – and a support network – for stepping into leadership roles in their schools. This is called the Osborne Leadership Series.

Ozzies graduate with advanced teaching skills, enhanced understanding of and the ability to relate to urban students and families, and a deep commitment to working with their peers to advance their school’s achievement goals. As a result, they are often called upon for formal and informal leadership roles in their schools. The Osborne Fellows Initiative is committed to supporting Osborne Fellows not only as master’s level students but also as program graduates. Ozzies receive support through this ongoing network to deliver experiences that instill needed leadership skills.


For more information on the Osborne Fellows Initiative, contact:
Leslie Graitcer, PEF, 423.668.2439
Larry Garrison, UTC, 423.425.4368