Woodrow Wilson foundation president is leaving

The president of the Princeton-based Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation announced he will be leaving his post in July 2019.

Arthur Levine was named the sixth president of the foundation in 2006, according to a news release. During his time leading the organization, he built it into a national leader in educator preparation and school improvement, it said.

“Under Arthur Levine’s leadership, the Woodrow Wilson Foundation became a true leader in education innovation, instituting new programs that have had a direct impact on teaching and learning throughout the country,” Thomas C. Hudnut, chairman of the board of trustees, said in a prepared statement. “We, along with millions of students, are grateful for all Arthur has done to ensure that every learner has an effective teacher and a high-quality of education.”

The foundation said Levine’s most significant accomplishment was the creation of the Woodrow Wilson Academy of Teaching and Learning, a graduate school of education constructed in collaboration with Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

During his tenure, Levine also created:

  • The WW Teaching Fellowship, in which the foundation worked with 31 universities in six states to transform science, technology, math and engineering teacher preparation programs;
  • The WW MBA Fellowship in Education Leadership, in which the foundation helped three states re-envision their approach to school leader preparation;
  • The WW HistoryQuest Fellowship, which identified top K-12 social studies teachers nationwide and provided them with professional development; and
  • The WW Higher Education Policy Fellowship, a new initiative aimed at bringing together policymakers and practitioners in eight states to improve postsecondary education.

“For more than a dozen years, it has been an honor and a privilege to work with the Woodrow Wilson Foundation, its staff, its trustees, its fellows and its partners,” Levine said in a statement. “Since its establishment, Woodrow Wilson has had a lasting impact on higher education and the professoriate, and now on K-12 education and educator preparation and supports.”

Before joining the foundation, Levine was president and professor of education at Teachers College, Columbia University.