K-8 Educators Share Classroom Expertise and Practices to Help Guide and Inform Scholastic’s Education Product Development

New York City – January 11, 2024 – Today, Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education, and media company, announced its selection of 12 educators from across the country to join the Company’s second annual Teacher Fellows Cohort. These accomplished K-8 teachers will collaborate with Scholastic Education Solutions’ product development, research and publishing teams for the duration of the school year, offering a direct pathway to their wide range of expertise and experiences in today’s classrooms. 

For more information on the Teacher Fellows program visit: scholastic.com/teacherfellows. 

“Our first class of Teacher Fellows tested lessons in their classrooms, surveyed their colleagues and students, shared pain points and successes, and worked side-by-side with our staff to design resources that would truly meet their needs in the classroom,” says Tara Welty, Senior Vice President & General Manager, Scholastic Teaching Solutions. “We cannot wait to see how this impressive next class of educators will share their diverse perspectives and experience to help us continue to meet the needs of teachers today and help us develop innovative and useful classroom resources.”

The 2023-2024 Teacher Fellows will serve through July 2024 and are listed here in alphabetical order: 

• Jamila Iris Edwards, Grade 4 Teacher, Sequoia Elementary, Oakland Unified School District, CA
• BreAnn Fennell, Grade 3 Teacher, Reagan Elementary, Ashland City Schools, Ashland, OH
• Kevin Frederick, Grade 1 Teacher, Dr. Howard Elementary, Champaign Unit 4 Schools, Champaign, IL
• Valente' Gibson, Grade 3 Teacher, Jackson Creek Elementary School, Richland School District Two, Columbia, SC
• Emely Gudiel-Rodriguez, Kindergarten Teacher, Kyle R. Wilson Elementary School, Prince William County, VA
• Grace Hearl, Grade 6 ELA and Social Studies Teacher, East Rockford Middle School, Rockford Public Schools, Rockford, MI 
• Hannah Kittle, Grade 5 ELA & Writing Teacher, Joseph A Browne Middle School, Chelsea, MA
• Michele Ogden, Grade 3 Teacher, Solis Park K-8 School, Irvine Unified School District, Irvine, CA
• Melanie Okadigwe, PreK-6 Learning Specialist and Library Specialist, Greene Hill School, Brooklyn, NY
• Eddie Vitcavage, Grade 4 Teacher, Israel Putnam Elementary School, Meriden, CT
• Tim Wheeler, Grade 4 Teacher, Riddle Elementary School, Mattoon Community Unit 2, Mattoon, IL
• Tiffany Young-Norris, Kindergarten Teacher, CT Walker Magnet School, Richmond County School District, Augusta, GA

“The Scholastic Teacher Fellows program has been one of the most extraordinary experiences,” said Anna Hart, fifth grade teacher from Greenville, SC and a member of the 2022 Scholastic Teacher Fellows Cohort. “This journey helped me grow as a professional and a person, helped me gain lifelong connections, and was an honor to be a part of over this past year. Scholastic showered each of us with so much respect and appreciation, which further displayed the company’s commitment to educators and the future of our schools.”

Teacher Fellows were selected through a call for applications which were then reviewed by a panel of judges to assess overall teaching experience, classroom practices and more. Each fellow will complete a capstone project during the course of the program, to be showcased at a Summit at Scholastic’s NYC Headquarters in the summer of 2024. Fellows will also receive a stipend of $2,000 as well as at least $500 in Scholastic products. 

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