New Fellows are Outstanding Teachers from Wide Variety of Indianapolis Schools and Districts
Indianapolis, IN, June 23, 2014 — Teach Plus-Indianapolis has accepted 30 Indianapolis-area teachers into its 2014 Teaching Policy Fellowship cohort. The incoming cohort will begin work in August 2014 and continue through December 2015. During the 16-month experience, Fellows will look to magnify the impact they have in their classrooms through personal interaction with education leaders, a challenging course of study in education policy, and an opportunity to advocate for policies that will better serve students and help retain excellent teachers.
“We are excited by the strength of teachers in our incoming cohort,” said Teach Plus-Indianapolis Executive Director Caitlin Hannon. “Our Fellows have a wide range of experiences and diverse policy interests. They are all driven to make positive change in their classrooms, schools and districts.”
The new Fellows come from a variety of schools and districts in Indianapolis. Of the 30 teachers, nine teach in IPS, seven teach in Township districts, 11 teach in charter schools, and three teach in turnaround schools. Many of the incoming teachers have been recognized for outstanding instruction by their respective schools. Five of the teachers in the incoming cohort were named Teacher of the Year by their individual schools.
“Proximity to great schools is among the top factors families use when deciding where to live,” said Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard. “Great teachers are the cornerstone of quality schools. Having the Teach Plus Teaching Policy Fellows in our city makes Indy a better place to live for families and children.”
The Teach Plus Teaching Policy Fellowship is a highly selective program for early career teachers interested in having a voice in key decisions that affect their profession. The most recent cohort of Fellows just published Dollars and Sense, a policy brief recommending a major overhaul to teacher compensation in Indianapolis Public Schools. The 2014 cohort of Teach Plus Teaching Policy Fellows is the fourth in Indianapolis since 2009.
“The Fellowship is going to be an awesome opportunity to collaborate with a diverse group of teachers across the city,” said incoming Fellow and Tindley Prep teacher Ronak Shah. “I’m really excited to have the chance to work with others to help make this profession stronger.”
The incoming cohort includes:
Daniel Allen of Indiana Math and Science Academy-West
Nicholette Babladelis of Chapelwood Elementary School in Wayne Township
Becky Boruff of Christel House Academy – South
Sue Brennan of Manual High School
Dane Butts of Warren Central High School in Warren Township
Erin Currie of Ben Davis High School in Wayne Township
Chelsea Easter of Arlington High School
Robbie Foote of Central High School in Warren Township
Carlota Holder of Creston Middle School in Warren Township
Rebecca Johnson of School 58 in IPS
Monique Keck of Indiana Math and Science Academy – North
Jacob Kettlewell of Avondale Meadows Academy
Megan Kuehl of Tindley Renaissance
Madeline Mason of Harshman Middle School in IPS
Julie Metcalf of School 61 in IPS
Jessica Monk of Paramount School of Excellence
Eve Montgomery of Arsenal Technical High School in IPS
Andrew Pillow of KIPP Indy
Eddie Rangel of Key Learning Community in IPS
Liz Retana of Carpe-Diem
Sabrina Roberts of Paramount School of Excellence
Melissa Scherle of KIPP Indy
Ronak Shah of Tindley Prep
Courtney Singleton of School 99 in IPS
Caitlin Smith of Arsenal Technical High School in IPS
Sadie Stevens of Greenbriar Elementary in Washington Township
Jessica Watson of Cold Spring School and School 56 in IPS
David Wheeler of North Central High School in Washington Township
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
