Public Education Foundation is immensely proud and honored to have contributed to the professional journeys of Catherine Casselman, Olivia Kane, and Matty Hardy, who have been recognized as Hamilton County Schools' Teachers of the Year. Catherine Casselman is a Project Inspire alumna, an Innovative Educator Fellow, and she serves on the eLab innovation team at East Side Elementary. Olivia Kane is a Project Inspire alumna and a STEM Fellow. Matty Hardy is a STEM Fellow and the VW eLab specialist at Normal Park Upper School. All three teachers of the year exemplify the dedication and innovation we value in educators. Their achievements are a testament to their commitment to teaching excellence, and we feel privileged to collaborate with such outstanding educators.
All Three HCS Teachers of the Year are PEF Program Alumni
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Four Passport Scholars Win Grants to Reduce College Loans
Four graduates of Public Education Foundation’s Passport Scholars program have been selected to receive grants that will reduce or eliminate their remaining college loans. From 2000 to 2020, PEF’s Passport Scholars program provided more than 150 Hamilton County students with an opportunity to
travel anywhere in the United States to do advanced learning the summer before their junior year in high school. This autumn, Kitty Caldwell, the founder of the Passport Scholars program, made funds
available to Passport Scholars who had graduated from college and still had college loans to repay.
UTC Sophomore Michael Barr Awarded PEF Scholarship in Honor of Dr. Yancy Freeman
“Michael Barr is an impressive, hard-working, accomplished young man,” said Dr. Dan Challener, the PEF president. “PEF is delighted to recognize him; it is especially fitting that our award for Michael also honors Yancy Freeman, who did so much for PEF, UTC and our community.”
Public Education Foundation Opens New and Improved Office Space Designed for Collaboration
"This space was really designed for our team and educators from across Hamilton County to have a really nice place to collaborate and work together for the strengthening and supporting public schools," Dr. Challener said.
Project Inspire Teacher Residency Making Strides in Teacher Diversity
Public Education Foundation and Project Inspire Teacher Residency announce that two thirds of the members of its 2023-24 cohort of future teachers are people of color. In recent years, Project Inspire Teacher Residency, which was created by Public Education Foundation, set a goal to recruit at least 50 percent teachers of color because recent compelling research has shown that a diverse teaching force benefits all students and especially students of color, said officials.
PEF and Hamilton County Schools VW eLabs Getting Global Attention
“Hamilton County schools, the Public Education Foundation, Volkswagen, and other partners are taking the E-labs globally. The Fab Foundation at MIT has invited two Hamilton County educators to an international summit in Bhutan in Southeast Asia. Michael Stone, Director of Innovative Learning for PEF, said, “Tony Donen and I will be co-presenting at an international conference in Bhutan with a team from Finland and share how we are working to provide the best possible experience in these labs.” Hamilton County Schools, now with 36 E-Labs, is adding more and, within three years, will have a total of 53.”
What's Right With Our Schools: Fund For Teachers
Through a partnership with Fund for Teachers, the Public Education Foundation is able every year to offer summer learning fellowships to Hamilton County teachers. The teachers who win the fellowships are able to study anything they teach. We’ve had teachers study atomic theory, geothermal energy, rainforests, sustainable farming. I mean, anything they teach, they can study. The fellowships provide enough support so they can go to the place where they’ll learn the most. So, the teacher who was studying geothermal energy wanted and went to Iceland, where two thirds of houses are heated by geothermal energy. The teacher who wanted to study rainforest went to Costa Rica.