Jun 12, 2009 -- Jewish communities throughout North America often struggle to find qualified teachers for Jewish schools that will develop the next generation. A new grant from Legacy Heritage Fund Limited will address this problem by providing support to attract, train and retain more high-quality teachers for placement at Jewish day schools. The Legacy Heritage Teacher Training Fellowship will fund five qualified recent college graduates this year—and 20 in total over the next three years—to teach at schools across North America while studying towards master’s degrees at YU’s Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration. “This fellowship will improve the quality of Jewish education by providing training for young talented people interested in making a difference,” said Scott J. Goldberg, PhD, director of YU’s Institute for University-School Partnership, which piloted the program last year. Legacy Heritage Teacher Fellows will receive a full-tuition scholarship for three summers of coursework culminating in a master of science in education from Azrieli with two years of teaching in the intervening months. Veteran teachers at the host school will mentor the fellows through classroom observation and weekly meetings. Azrieli faculty will train both the fellows and their mentors this summer at Yeshiva University, and will provide ongoing support and guidance to the mentors and the fellows throughout the school year. In addition to the on-site mentoring, the fellows will engage in professional development via conferences and online seminars. “This grant demonstrates the importance of the work we are doing,” said Joey Small, the Institute’s fellowship coordinator. “By recruiting and supporting these fellows in their initial years of teaching, the grant helps YU nurture the future leaders and practitioners in the field of Jewish education.” The fellowship builds on the success of the Teacher Training and Give-Back Fellowships that were initiated a year ago. The Institute matched schools in Chicago, Memphis and Los Angeles with well-suited teachers. The new fellowship will continue to focus on schools outside the New York area, where the need for well-trained Jewish teachers is more acute. Goldberg added, “We are excited to partner with schools across North America to develop the classroom professionals they need to ensure a quality Jewish educational experience for all our children.”