Our History

PEF was formed to provide support for public schools in Chattanooga and Hamilton County.

PEF focuses on Personal Development as a means for school improvement with mini-grants, a principal network, and library retrofitting.

Thanks to generous community support and a grant from DeWitt Wallace Reader's Digest Fund, PEF helps refurbish the libraries of 28 schools.

The Chattanooga community voted to turn responsibility for education over to the county, requiring the two systems to merge.

The newly consolidated system emerges, and with grants from Lyndhurst and Annenberg Foundations, an teachers and principals develop a new set of high standards.

HCS Superintendent asks PEF to help train school leaders for the new district, resulting in the launch of Leadership Fellows.

Benwood Initiative and Carnegie Corporation's Schools for a new society result in more than $21.5m invested in schools across HCS.

PEF, Weldon F. Osborne Foundation, UTS, and HCS partner to create a unique Masters Degree program through "Osborne Fellows."

With community support and a grant from Annenberg Foundation, PEF opens the Ruth S. Holmberg Center for Excellence in Leadership and Education.

With $6m from the Lyndhurst Foundation and $2.5m from the NEA Foundation, Middle Schools for a New Society launches.

The Benwood Initiative expands to include seven new schools focused on increasing achievement in math and literacy.

PEF merges with College Access Center and, with support from Community Foundation of Greater Chatt, provides every high school with a college advisor.

PEF launches TEACH/Here, an innovative initiative to recruit promising new teachers from nontraditional backgrounds.

Principal Leadership Academy is begins with support from numerous community partners to prepare APs for principalship.

PEF, TN Tech, and HCS launch Project Inspire to recruit and train teachers to thrive in urban schools through a teachers residency model.

PEF launches the STEM Innovation Hub and becomes a Fund for Teachers Site to empower teachers to pursue personally meaningful professional development

The PEF Leadership Pipeline supports aspiring, new, and veteran principals, and with Benwood and HCS, PEF supports 1:1 technology initiative across the district

The PEF Innovation Hub launches the Teacherpreneur Incubator to provide wrap-around supports for teachers to develop and support entrepreneurial initiatives.

PEF launches STEP-UP Chattanooga, a paid summer internship program that pairs high school students with industry leaders for college and career development.

PEF's Camp College celebrates its 20th year and graduates its 1,000th student. PEF's Leadership Fellows celebrate 20 years and 600 graduates!

PEF is selected alongside four other cities by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to help increase the number of HS graduates who succeed in college.

Project Inspire graduates its 100th teacher committed to working in Hamilton County's most challenged schools.

300 graduates celebrate the 20th anniversary of Leadership Fellows at a gala at the Hunter Museum.

PEF leads the development of a 3D printer farm through VW eLabs that results in 7,200 face shields donated to front line workers at the onset of the pandemic.

The 10th cohort of Principal Leadership Academy graduated. Well over 50% of all HCS schools are now led by PLA and LF alumni.

In the midst of the pandemic, PEF secures federal funding that provides laptops for over 1,000 HCS students and more than 200 Chattanooga State students.

Project Inspire partners with the Black Educators Initiative to make a concerted effort to recruit and support teachers of color in STEM.

PEF's Chattanooga Fab Institute expands to introduce 150+ educators from 18 states to digital fabrication in VW eLabs.

PEF enters beta-testing phase for FabFolio, a new micro-credentialling application for students and teachers.

PEF announces a $5.2m contribution to continue the development of VW eLabs in partnership with Volkswagen Group of America. The gift results in 36 more labs!

PEF moves into new office and training facility on Holtzclaw Avenue, an innovative space to inspire collaborative development.