A decades-long partnership between Clark University and Worcester Public Schools is getting a more formal framework, with the two institutions agreeing to expand college access, teacher training and academic opportunities for students across the city.
Clark President David Fithian and Worcester Public Schools Superintendent Brian E. Allen signed a memorandum of understanding Sept. 17 outlining collaboration in areas ranging from dual enrollment and scholarships to teacher development, internships, research and summer and afterschool programs.
The agreement also calls for a “Grow Our Own” teacher pipeline aimed at helping Worcester students, paraprofessionals and other community members pursue careers in education, while creating additional opportunities for Clark students to gain classroom experience in city schools.
The MOU formalizes a relationship that already stretches across decades and includes some longstanding programs. As of September 2025, 217 Clark alumni were employed by Worcester Public Schools, including approximately 120 teachers who graduated from Clark’s Master of Arts in Teaching program, according to the university’s announcement.
“This partnership is not simply an agreement between institutions. It is a partnership carried forward by people who care deeply about Worcester and its future,” Fithian said in the announcement. “We have been part of Worcester for nearly a hundred and forty years, and over that time, we have learned a simple but important truth: The future of Clark is inseparable from the future of Worcester. When Worcester thrives, Clark thrives. When Worcester students succeed, our entire community succeeds. And when institutions work together to expand opportunity, everyone benefits.”
Under the agreement, Clark faculty and students will work with WPS educators on curriculum and classroom partnerships, while Clark students will have opportunities for internships, practica, clinical experiences and other field placements in Worcester schools.
The institutions also plan to pursue joint research, professional development for WPS teachers and administrators and expanded scholarship opportunities for Worcester students.
“This agreement further strengthens a longstanding commitment between the Worcester Public Schools and Clark University to support the educational growth of students and faculty in both organizations,” Allen said in the announcement. “This collaboration not only provides life-changing opportunities for district students, graduates, and educators, but also helps Clark’s faculty further enhance their own pedagogy and programming. Clark University continues to be a strong partner of the Worcester Public Schools, and we are grateful for the continued partnership.”
Allen has his own ties to both institutions. A Worcester native and South High Community School graduate, he earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Clark in 1992 and a certificate of advanced graduate studies in conflict management in 2004.
The agreement builds on programs already connecting Clark and the city’s schools. Students from Claremont Academy and University Park Campus School have been able to take classes at Clark for more than 15 years, according to the university.
Next year also marks the 30th anniversary of University Park Campus School, which grew out of the partnership between Clark and Worcester Public Schools.
Since 2000, more than 165 Worcester residents have attended Clark tuition-free through the University Park Partnership Scholarship Program, according to the announcement. Clark expanded the scholarship’s eligibility area by 26 streets in 2023, making an additional 1,100 students potentially eligible.
This fall, eight University Park Campus School graduates and two South High School graduates are attending Clark tuition-free through the scholarships.
The partnership also extends into individual classrooms and academic programs. Clark said its faculty have worked with Worcester schools on bilingual education, STEM demonstrations and genocide education, among other initiatives.
“The power of this partnership is that learning moves in every direction. Clark students, faculty, and staff and Worcester students and educators bring distinct knowledge and experience to the work, learning with and from one another while creating a lasting impact in classrooms, across our institutions, and throughout the Worcester community,” Laurie Ross, Clark’s associate provost and dean of the college, said in the announcement. “Together, we are making higher education more accessible for Worcester students while helping Clark students discover visible, meaningful pathways to careers in education.”
The agreement was signed during a ceremony at Claremont Academy, one of Clark’s six partner schools. Participants included Claremont graduate and current Clark sophomore Anahit Marutyan; Nate Kapiloff, a graduate of Clark’s Master of Arts in Teaching program; Eduard Arriaga-Arango, associate professor and chair of Clark’s Department of Language, Literature & Culture; and Sophie Stanton, a Clark alum who teaches at Woodland Academy.
Several of the 22 candidates currently enrolled in Clark’s Master of Arts in Teaching program also attended.
The agreement requires Clark and Worcester Public Schools leaders to meet regularly to assess the partnership, identify additional opportunities and determine whether its programs continue to meet the needs of students and educators.
