Phoenix Teaching Fellows is a new program designed to recruit, select, and train professionals and recent college graduates to become teachers in high-need public schools.
Phoenix Teaching Fellows will accept about 50 outstanding candidates to begin teaching in subject areas where additional high-quality teachers are most needed: math, language arts, science and special education.
“The placement of one quality teacher can impact the lives of hundreds of children. This program will help us reduce the achievement gap and increase student achievement across the board,” said Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon. “I know Phoenix Teaching Fellows will provide an innovative route to the classroom for these motivated individuals.”
Teaching Fellows will begin teaching full time in Phoenix Elementary, Liberty Elementary , and Murphy Elementary district schools in the fall.
Monday May 12 is the deadline to apply at www.PhoenixTeachingFellows.org.
The program focuses on raising academic achievement in high-need schools by recruiting and training highly qualified individuals from a variety of professional and academic backgrounds to make a difference where they are most needed – in the classroom.
Although a bachelor's degree is a prerequisite to apply, no previous education coursework or experience is required.
Phoenix Teaching Fellows uses a rigorous selection model to select outstanding candidates. Teaching Fellows will participate in an intensive pre-service training in the summer and will complete alternative certification requirements while teaching full-time – with the added benefit of an AmeriCorps Education Award that may be used towards certification coursework.
This initiative is a partnership between Phoenix, Liberty and Murphy elementary districts and the U.S. Department of Education and The New Teacher Project.
Lori Baker is mom to two daughters, 21 and 23 years old. She is
editor for the Valley and State section's Education and Environment pages in the Arizona Republic.
I applaud the concept, but I
I applaud the concept, but I have not had a positive experience with this program.
I don't know about you, but I'm a little insulted that I can have 30+ credit hours in education (including praticums), have done my full semester of student teaching, passed all the tests (yes, it was a while ago, but English hasn't really changed that much), held a license in two different states, taught mid-school, high school, junior college and even university courses, and I can't get an AZ license (unless I can afford to take even more courses and put out some significant cash).
I've never gotten a straight answer from this program, but it's certainly not interested in re-recruiting mature folks who have to earn a living. Do you know how much it costs to go to the cop shop and get a fingerprint card run? And that's the least expensive item on the to-do list -- before they will even accept your application. If they do accept you, you do a 6-week boot camp and, if you pass, you get a small stipend at the end; it's also possible (but not guaranteed) that some of your expenses can be reimbursed.
Even with all the course work and mentoring I had, I'll be the first to tell you that I had no idea what I was doing in the classroom the first couple of years.
I can't imagine that anyone who has had his/her wisdom teeth come in being able to afford to do this. I'm surprised that the teacher's unions haven't objected; would you want to be the department head or principal in charge of a 22 year-old who has had a total of 6 weeks' worth of training? Would you want your grandchild to be in that classroom?
It took me six weeks to come up with a coherent lesson plan, and if I never see a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird (film or novel) again, it will be too soon.