Applications for Teaching Policy Fellowships in Boston, Indianapolis and Los Angeles Now Open
BOSTON, MA, March 5, 2014 _ Teach Plus, a national non-profit that puts teacher leaders at the center of school and system-level reform, is now accepting applications for its 2014-16 Teaching Policy Fellowships at the Boston, Indianapolis and Los Angeles sites. A highly selective 18-month program, the Teach Plus Teaching Policy Fellowship empowers teaches to have a voice in the local and national policy decisions that impact their classrooms. Eligibility, selection criteria and applications are available at www.teachplus.org. The deadlines for entries are April 20 for Los Angeles; May 11 for Indianapolis; and June 8 for Greater Boston.
“We established the Teaching Policy Fellowship to create much-needed pathways for teachers to influence the direction of education policies that affect students and the teaching profession,” said Dr. Celine Coggins, CEO of Teach Plus. “Our Policy Fellows have testified before Congress, met with President Obama’s top education advisors, and provided feedback on key education initiatives to policymakers across the nation. We look forward to welcoming a new group of Policy Fellows and all that they will be able to accomplish.”
Among the key benefits of the Teach Plus Policy Fellowship are the personal interactions Fellows have with education policy leaders and research experts. Fellows participate in a specially-designed course of study in education policy, research and best practices that enables them to become effective advocates. Throughout the Fellowship, Teach Plus presents Fellows with opportunities to develop and help enact policies that matter to them, their students and their colleagues. Teach Plus Fellows have worked jointly with districts to refine the teacher evaluation system and strengthen its implementation; developed proposals to centralize enrollment, thereby decreasing involuntary displacement and decreasing teacher turnover; and advocated at the state level for continuing support and use of the Common Core.
In selecting the Fellows, Teach Plus assesses applicants’ commitment to work with urban students and schools, and their desire to impact education policy issues and help retain excellent teachers in the profession. Applicants must have two to 10 years of teaching experience, and teach at a district or charter school where 50% or more of the students qualify for free or reduced price lunch.
In addition to Boston, Indianapolis and Los Angeles, Teach Plus awards Teaching Policy Fellowships at its sites in Chicago (Spring 2015), Memphis (Spring 2015), and Washington, D.C. (Spring 2014; dates to be announced soon). To date, there more than 375 Teach Plus Teaching Policy Fellows and alumni engaged in education policy reform nationwide. Among the Fellows are National Board Certified teachers and city and statewide Teachers of the Year.
About Teach Plus
Teach Plus aims to improve outcomes for urban children by ensuring that a greater proportion of students have access to effective, experienced teachers. Teach Plus runs four programs designed to place teacher leaders at the center of reform: Teaching Policy Fellows; the Teach Plus Network; T3: Turnaround Teacher Teams; and C2: The Core Collaborative. The programs focus on demonstrably effective teachers who want to continue classroom teaching while also expanding their impact as leaders in their schools and in district, state and national policy. Since its inception in August 2009, Teach Plus has grown to a network of more than 14,000 solutions-oriented teachers in six major cities across the country. www.teachplus.org
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