Mort Teacher Leader Academy awarded 2018 Dr. Shirley S. Schwartz Urban Education Impact Award

The award honors outstanding partnerships between universities and urban school districts that have a positive and significant impact on student learning.  

TAMPA, Fla. (October 26, 2018) – In recognition of the success of the Mort Teacher Leader Academy, the University of South Florida College of Education and Hillsborough County Public Schools were selected to receive the 2018 Dr. Shirley S. Schwartz Urban Education Impact Award by the Council of the Great City Colleges of Education.

In 2013, the College of Education partnered with Hillsborough County Public Schools to create the Teacher Leader Academy at Mort Elementary School, a large urban school located within five miles of USF’s Tampa campus. The Teacher Leader Academy is a customized program that allows teachers at Mort to work toward a Teacher Leader Graduate Certificate or an advanced degree at USF while still on-site in their classrooms.  

Facilitated by College of Education faculty and staff in the David C. Anchin Center for the Advancement of Teaching in collaboration with leadership at the school, the Teacher Leader Academy is a clinically-centered model of teacher leader preparation in which the school's needs drive the curriculum for graduate level coursework. The goal of the program is to develop an equity-literate community of educators who work together to renew struggling schools.

“The Teacher Leader Academy at Mort Elementary is a true exemplar of how schools and universities can partner in robust ways to make a difference in the lives of children,” said College of Education Associate Professor Rebecca Burns, PhD, a co-creator of the program. “It is an honor to work alongside Hillsborough County Public Schools and the Mort community to improve the learning experience for all students. We are truly better together.”

The Council of the Great City Colleges of Education is an affiliate group of deans working with urban school leaders. The Dr. Shirley S. Schwartz Urban Education Impact Award honors outstanding partnerships between a university and an urban school district that have a positive and significant impact on student learning.   

“This award is recognition of the fact that we have developed engaged partnerships with local schools that have allowed us to transform educational outcomes for children and families. That is the true definition of social justice,” said College of Education Dean Robert C. Knoeppel, PhD. “It is truly an honor for the College of Education to receive this award.”    

Learn more about the Mort Teacher Leader Academy in the video below.