New York City Teaching Fellows
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202712708
2008-04-02T03:06:07Z
70.179.71.107
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{{Infobox Company
| company_name = NYC Teaching Fellows
| company_logo =
| company_type = [[Alternate-Route Program]]
| foundation = 2000
| location = [[New York City]]
| key_people = NYC Dept of Education, [[TNTP]]
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| homepage = [http://www.nycteachingfellows.org/misc/marketing/gateway.asp?refid=131 www.nycteachingfellows.org]
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}}
The '''NYC Teaching Fellows''' is an [[Alternate Route (teaching)|alternative certification]] program that was founded in [[2000]] in response to the largest teacher shortage the [[NYC Department of Education]] has faced in recent decades. Designed as a collaboration between [[The New Teacher Project]] (TNTP) and the New York City Board of Education, the program's goal is to raise the quality of education in [[New York City]] [[public school]]s by attracting professionals from other fields into the classroom as [[teacher]]s. Many accepted [[Fellow]]s have almost no teaching experience, and accepted [[Fellow]]s include recent college graduates as well as former [[accountants]], [[nurses]], [[corporate officer|chief executives]], [[secretary|secretaries]], [[artist]]s, [[journalist]]s, and [[retirees]].
Originally, the NYC Teaching Fellows program replaced an earlier program where uncertified individuals were hired to teach in high-need New York City public schools, but this was abolished after the [[No Child Left Behind]] legislation required all teachers to be certified.
==Mission==
Because effective teachers dramatically increase their students' academic success, the mission of the NYC Teaching Fellows program is to recruit and prepare high-quality, dedicated individuals to become teachers who raise student achievement in the New York City classrooms that need them most.
== Recruitment ==
The mission of the program is to recruit and prepare highly qualified professionals from all backgrounds and top-notch recent college graduates from all majors into the teaching profession. Because the Fellows program is an alternative route to teaching certification, applicants cannot already be certified to teach. New Fellows also include people with some experience teaching in private schools who are looking for an accelerated path to becoming certified to teach in the public school system. Many people relocate to the city from around the country to participate in the program.
Certified teachers are encouraged to apply to [[Teach NYC]], which is another teacher recruitment program in New York City. The Teaching Fellows program is advertised in college career placement offices, on the Internet, and in a series of famous ads on the [[New York City subway]].
== Incentives ==
The starting salary for Teaching Fellows is the same as that for all other beginning teachers in New York City public schools; a Fellow with only a Bachelor's degree and no additional coursework can currently expect to earn an annual salary of $43,362. Fellows with advanced degrees may be eligible for salary differentials, which will be determined on an individual basis by the Department of Education after hiring.[http://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/15074C44-E87D-4A0A-982C-72DBAD1EAC8E/25312/SALARYSCHEDULESOCTOBER2007_Teacher.pdf] Fellows also receive full benefits, including both standard health care benefits from the DOE and the extra benefits provided to members of the [[UFT]].
Fellows receive a modest living stipend during training. Since the stipend is often less than two months' living expenses in the city, many Fellows take out loans, work another job, or spend savings in order to get through the summer.
While teaching, Fellows work towards a [[Master's degree]] in education. The degree is [[subsidized]] by the NYC Department of Education, and Fellows are currently responsible for $5,500 of their tuition, which is automatically deducted from their paychecks. The Master's degree must be completed within three years, although many Fellows complete the program in two. Teacher salaries increase after the completion of 30 credits beyond the Bachelor's degree and after the receipt of a Master's degree.
Fellows are also eligible for [[AmeriCorps]] education grants, totaling $4,750 for one year of their service. If they continue to teach in high-need schools, they may also be eligible for other federal [[loan forgiveness]] programs, including Stafford and Perkins loans.
== Training ==
Before Fellows enter the classroom, they take part in a rigorous pre-service training program. June Fellows attend a seven-week training session during the summer while Midyear Fellows enroll in a five- or six-week training program that begins either in September or December. (Midyear Fellows fill teaching vacancies that occur during the schoolyear.)
While university partners change year to year, in the past, Fellows have been assigned to study at one of eleven participating NYC universities: [[Brooklyn College]], [[City College of New York]], [[Empire State University]], [[Fordham University]], [[Hunter College]], [[Lehman College]], [[Long Island University]], [[Mercy College]], [[Queens College]], [[Pace University]], and [[St. John's University (New York City)|St. John's University]]. Fellows are assigned to universities based on their subject area and borough assignment -- a Fellow does not choose which university they will attend. At the beginning of pre-service training, Fellows may be required to complete an application for admission to the assigned graduate program.
Summer pre-service training includes university coursework, a "Student Achievement Framework" session with an advisor (a veteran Fellow who has completed the program), content-specific workshops, mandatory certification workshops, and a student-teaching/fieldwork component completed in an assigned summer school in their borough.
In 2002, the Teaching Fellows began a Math Immersion program to help prepare people without math degrees to be math teachers; a Science Immersion program was later added. The majority of math Fellows attend a session of Math Immersion training that takes place during the two weeks prior to regular pre-service training. This additional training session covers the basic content of the CST and high school curriculum in their assigned subject area. Immersion Fellows in the June program receive an additional stipend for their time. In 2007, it was $1,000.
Fellows must continue to take courses towards their Master's degree throughout the next two to three years, although they generally only take a course or two every semester. Unfortunately, some Fellows have reported that their Master's programs are not as challenging as they would expect. On the other hand, many Fellows report satisfaction with City College's faculty who emphasize practical, hands-on teaching methods.
== Certification ==
Teaching Fellows work under a Transitional B license [http://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/certificate/typesofcerts.htm] from the [[New York State Department of Education]]. This license is issued to those individuals who are enrolled in an alternative certification program. Unlike other teaching certificates, the Transitional B certificate is sent, not to the applicant, but to the university where the applicant is completing their Master's degree coursework. In addition, the certificate is specific to a subject area and a grade level ("primary" (K-6), "middle" (5-9), or "secondary" (7-12)). Fellows must continue to be in good standing at their university in order for their certificate to be valid.
The requirements for applying for this Transitional B license may vary by university, but they generally include:
* university coursework
* passing standardized tests: the LAST (Liberal Arts and Sciences Test) and CST (Content Specialty Test)
* fieldwork component
* fingerprinting by the Department of Education
In addition, people with Transitional B licenses are guaranteed mentorship throughout their first year of teaching. Starting with the 2007-2008 school year, each school is responsible for providing mentors for first-year teachers so mentoring models look different at each school.
Within three years of receiving a Transitional B license, a teacher must apply for an Initial Certificate, which is the certificate a person who has a degree in education would receive. After receiving the Initial Certificate, a Teaching Fellow is qualified to teach anywhere in New York State, as they now hold a standard, rather than an alternative, certification. At the completion of their Master's degree and three years of satisfactory teaching, they may apply for a Professional Teaching Certificate, which is good indefinitely, as long as one completes 175 hours of professional development every five years.
Teaching Fellows who enrolled prior to 2004 were certified through a slightly different process.
== Job Placement ==
Fellows who successfully complete pre-service training over the summer can start a teaching position with the NYC Department of Education in the fall. While the Fellowship assigns Fellows to a borough in which they can look for jobs, it does not assign Fellows to individual schools. Fellows find their own teaching placement in order to ensure a good match between the teacher and the school. NYCTF supports the Fellows' job search by providing online tools and resources as well as general job hunting support. Fellows may begin interviewing for positions during their training session.
NYCTF is dedicated to recruiting teachers that will work in the hardest-to-staff schools (typically those receiving Title I funding) and teach high-need subject areas including bilingual education, English, ESL, math, science, Spanish, and special education. While a Fellow may accept a position at any NYC public school, Fellows are encouraged to keep the mission of the Fellowship in mind when looking for jobs. Most Teaching Fellows end up working in the Bronx or Brooklyn, but Fellows also work in Queens and Manhattan. (NYCTF no longer assigns teachers to Staten Island.)
The difficulty of finding a job varies from year to year. In 2006, teacher hiring was delayed by new contract provisions. Incumbent teachers enjoyed increased freedom through the start of August in switching schools. Because of this freedom, Fellows as well as other new teachers were competing for vacancies with more senior candidates and principals had more options in staffing their schools. Ten percent of Fellows, along with other teachers with commitments from the NYCDOE were placed in their region's Absent Teacher Reserve pool (ATR) and assigned to schools in their regions as designated substitutes. While in the ATR, Fellows received a full teacher's salary and benefits until December 1, 2006, by which point they were expected to find a permanent position.
== Success ==
Many experienced teachers agree that the first year of teaching is the hardest, and the tough environment of the NYC schools makes this no easier. Fellows often have great difficulty getting up to speed at their new jobs. They must juggle Master's degree coursework with planning coursework for their own students. Teaching is not an "easy" job, and Fellows should be well aware of what they're getting into.
However, many view the Teaching Fellows as a "trial by fire" for new teachers, remembering the classic line from the song "[[Theme from New York, New York|New York, New York]]": "If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere." Since this line is often true, New York state counties and areas outside of NYC are impressed by the successful Fellow, and former Fellows often easily find a teaching job in a middle or upper middle-class New York suburb after completing the contractual obligations and licensing requirements. Unfortunately, since the program attempts to fill the teaching shortage in New York City, where teacher turnover is one of the biggest problems, doing this runs counter to the goals of the Fellows program. At the same time the inordinate amount of stress catches many Fellows off-guard, bringing on an early burnout in the form of a rude awakening.
Overall, the Teaching Fellows program has successfully filled the teaching shortage in New York City. Due largely to their success, NYC public schools opened without many math vacancies, which is unheard of for a major urban school system. There is some hope that Science Immersion will be as successful. Currently, 8,000 active Fellows account for approximately 11 percent of all active teachers citywide, including one-fourth of all math teachers. The program boasts of strong retention that exceeds the national average for all teachers.
== See also ==
* [[Alternative teaching certification]]
==External links==
* NYC Teaching Fellows [http://www.nycteachingfellows.org/misc/marketing/gateway.asp?refid=131 Official site]
* Summary of program on ed.gov [http://www.ed.gov/admins/tchrqual/recruit/altroutes/report_pg13.html Report on NYCTF]
* A study by the National Center for Alternative Certification, with background information [http://www.teach-now.org/Why%20Do%20Fellows%20Stick%20Around.pdf Why Do Fellows Stick Around?]
* [[The New Teacher Project]] [http://www.tntp.org/ www.tntp.org]
[[Category:AmeriCorps organizations]]
[[Category:Educational organizations]]