Kids & Family

Sandy Springs Teacher to Inform Department of Education Through Fellowship Program

Patrice Dawkins-Jackson, a teacher at Dunwoody Springs will serve as a liaison between the U.S. Department of Education and teachers.

 

A Sandy Springs teacher is one of 12 teachers selected as a Teaching Ambassador Fellow with the U.S. Department of Education, an announcement said, Wednesday.

Patrice Dawkins-Jackson, a first grade teacher and grade level chair at Dunwoody Springs Elementary School, will work part-time as a “Classroom Fellow.” In this role, she will continue to teach at her school but also will serve as a liaison between the U.S. Department of Education and teachers. the announcement said.

“This is an extraordinary opportunity for Ms. Dawkins-Jenkins as well as for Fulton County Schools,” said Superintendent Robert Avossa. “She will be exposed to new experiences that will make her a more effective teacher and our school system will benefit from the information she shares.”

As a Classroom Fellow, Dawkins-Jackson will collaborate with other Fellows to provide specific outreach to teachers and to increase their understanding of federal education policies and programs, specifically how those interplay with state and local policies. Over the year, she also will be asked to share relevant school and classroom experiences with internal and external audiences.

Now entering its fifth year, the Teaching Ambassador Fellowship program was created to give outstanding teachers an opportunity to learn about national policy issues in education and to contribute their expertise to those discussions. In turn, Fellows share what they’ve learned with other teachers in their professional networks, contributing to a larger understanding of federal initiatives and encouraging broader input into policy and programs designed to improve education at all levels of government.

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This year’s 12 fellows were selected from 625 applications from teachers and instructional specialists from traditional public and charter schools to alternative and private schools, from nearly every state, grade level and instructional area, and who teach in a wide variety of urban, rural, and suburban settings.


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