NYC Teaching Fellows

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1 Every kid needs a chance to succeed and be challenged. gives you the opportunity to change lives. we re doing something important here, with urgency. We re closing the achievement gap. If you want to make our society better, it starts in the classroom. you can do something about it. Travis Brown, 2004 Math Fellow

2 Good teachers matter. A lot. In our fight to raise student achievement for all students, regardless of their background or socioeconomic status, we know that teacher quality matters immensely. Good teachers can mean the difference between a student graduating from high school or not, between a student reaching for college or not. But too often, our highest need students are the ones who do not have enough good teachers. NYC Teaching Fellows are changing this reality. Our purpose The mission of the 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. The program has emerged as a powerful factor in providing New York City s 1.1 million public school students with excellent teachers. Teaching Fellows make an immeasurable difference in the lives and futures of their students, as I have seen with the thousands of Fellows who are currently teaching in our schools today. Their ability to meet challenges and stay focused on the goal of raising student achievement makes them an incredibly important part of their schools. Chancellor Joel Klein, NYC Department of Education The program is designed so that Fellows are fast-tracked into full-time teaching positions in New York City public schools. Within a few months of becoming a Fellow, you can be making a real impact. Join us Fellows typically have no prior teaching experience but are committed to ensuring that all students in New York City receive an excellent education and they are making a dramatic difference. Whether you are a career changer or a recent graduate, we invite you to start a new journey with us and be part of this extraordinary change. I have a sense of pride in what I do that I never felt before. It's an amazing feeling to realize the power you have as a teacher to make a lasting impact. Deborah Glauner, 2002 English Fellow

3 I truly believe in this program. The Fellows opened the door to a career and the greatest challenge of my life. Michael Bayer, 2005 Special Education Fellow Who can be a Teaching Fellow? There is no one right type of Teaching Fellow. Fellows are highachieving, driven individuals from different backgrounds and careers who are committed to improving student achievement in New York City. As a Teaching Fellow, you will be part of a select and incredibly diverse community of career changers and recent college graduates who are passionate about making a difference in the lives of their students. our latest cohort of fellows: 20% African-American, 16% Hispanic, 7% Asian-American From 44 different states and 17 different countries, including a large percentage from New York City Average undergraduate GPA: 3.33 Acceptance rate into program: 16% Fellows are part of a large, dynamic community: Over 8,000 Fellows teaching in more than 80% of New York City s 1,450 schools. Recent graduates and career changers alike, from over 20 different industries, including finance, advertising, and law. Henry johnson s u b j e c t: s c h o o l : Math Thomas C. Giordano Middle School, Bronx e d u c at i o n: BA in Economics, Johns Hopkins University Why did you decide to become a Fellow? I wanted to make a difference in the lives of students that come from the same community as myself. I wanted to change students negative perception about mathematics. I wanted to be a role model. And my prior occupation was no longer rewarding, even though the salary and perks were great. I also wanted to secure a Master s degree. You've been teaching for over five years now. What keeps you inspired? I work at a middle school in the South Bronx, and almost 100 percent of the students at my school are eligible for free or reduced lunch. These are all poor, smart, and capable kids. They want to learn, and with the right guidance, they can all perform at high levels. They absolutely keep me motivated. I care deeply for each of my students. I want the best for them. I know from firsthand experience the impact education has on your life, and I work hard to instill the value of education in my students. Therefore, I invest a lot of time in the present so that their futures have no boundaries. When they leave me at the end of 7th grade, they are in a better academic position. Every year, the majority of my students earn the highest level score on the New York State mathematics exam. There are a lot of reasons I love teaching, but the bottom line is that results like these keep me driven to teach.

4 caresse garza s u b j e c t: Special Education s c h o o l : Bronx Coalition Community High School e d u c at i o n: BA in History, CUNY Hunter College Why did you become a Fellow? Basically, I loved teaching and had to do something about it after 22 years in the healthcare industry. It s not a decision I took lightly. I m a native New Yorker. I grew up in a neighborhood in the South Bronx that many considered a haven for criminals and addicts, but my classmates and I were fortunate to have some of the most dedicated teachers I ve ever known. Those teachers gave of their time and their hearts so we could have a future, and I felt it would be a privilege to give back some of what I had received. Is there any advice you would like to give to people who are considering becoming a teacher? The work requires discipline and understanding and patience beyond what you think you are capable of. I have never worked so hard in my life as I have as a teacher. But be certain, you will be embarking on the greatest adventure of your life, and you won't regret a single moment as long as you give it your all. Fellows make great teachers. The program is designed specifically to provide you the necessary training, coursework, and resources that will enable you to succeed as a teacher. Training Once accepted into the program, all Fellows go through a short, but intensive, pre-service training, part of which includes a hands-on teaching experience in a New York City classroom. Upon successful completion of training, you can begin teaching almost immediately in one of our 1,400-plus schools. The Master s Degree One of the key elements of becoming a Teaching Fellow is enrollment in a subsidized Master s degree program. Fellows teach full-time while working toward earning a degree at a university that has partnered with the Teaching Fellows program. The Fellows Network The Fellows community is a diverse network of talented, passionate, and like-minded professionals who are committed to helping each other grow in learning their craft and succeed in the classroom. Throughout their careers, Teaching Fellows can take advantage of all of the benefits and support that this dynamic professional network has to offer. Photos by Jean-Christian Bourcart & Deborah Teng

5 I wanted to know that I had contributed to someone s life, and I m getting the experience I wanted to get. Teaching is incredibly challenging and incredibly rewarding. It s dynamic. Coming out of college, I didn t know if this was exactly the right thing for me, but now I don t see myself doing anything else. I m doing this for life. I am making a difference. Ray Ramirez, 2004 Bilingual Education Fellow Our proven impact are closing the achievement gap. Since 2000, the program has grown into the country s largest, most selective program of its kind, alleviating chronic teacher shortages in New York City in critical high-need subject areas such as mathematics, science, English, Spanish, bilingual education, and special education. The hiring of Fellows into high-poverty schools Fellows are committed to raising student has been responsible for much of the narrowing achievement and closing the achievement gap of the gap in teacher qualifications between in New York City public schools and they high-poverty and low-poverty schools. [During are playing an instrumental role in doing just this same time period,] the gap in the proportion that. of students failing to meet proficiency standards A recently released study by the Urban also narrowed. Institute credits the The Urban Institute* with dramatically improving teacher quality in high-need schools and consequently, helping to close the achievement gap. * Boyd et al. The Narrowing Gap in New York City Teacher Qualifications and its Implications for Student Achievement in High-Poverty Schools. (The Urban Institute, 2007). Fellows are committed to teaching where they are needed most Fellows who teach high-need subject areas: 86% Fellows who teach in Title 1 schools*: 82% Fellows who teach at least three years: 73% * title I schools are those schools that are eligible to receive Title I federal funding. A school qualifies for Title I funding based on its percentage of low-income students, typically at least 75 percent of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Alona Cohen s u b j e c t: Biology s c h o o l : South Brooklyn Community HS e d u c at i o n: BA in Molecular and Cell Biology, UC Berkeley; PhD in Biochemistry, Cornell Medical College Why did you become a Fellow? For a long time, my dream was to become a scientist. As I spent more time doing research, I realized I wanted to work in a profession where I could see the results of my efforts first-hand. Teaching seemed like a perfect way to combine my skills with this goal. I decided to apply for the Fellows program because it gave me the best route for transitioning into teaching. I know that I can make a positive difference in my students lives. If I do my job well, students will be able to use the knowledge and skills that I teach them well beyond their graduation from high school. What kind of impact do you feel like you re having on your students? I set high expectations for my students, and they are able to meet them. The students at my school have all transferred from other high schools. They had patterns of truancy or had dropped out of their previous schools for a variety of reasons. When they come to our school, they make a commitment to try to break these patterns and work toward graduation. They re learning science in a demanding and rigorous way. Last year, at the end of the year, I gave them a sample Regents exam, which they have to pass in order to graduate, as the final exam for my class, and they told me it was easier than all of the tests I had given them. When they actually took the Regents, all but one passed. I hope that my students walk away from the experience understanding that they are capable of achieving anything that they work hard to tackle.

6 jordan davidson s u b j e c t: English as a Second Language (ESL) s c h o o l : PS 5 Ellen Lurie Elementary School, Manhattan e d u c at i o n: BA in Classics, Brown University Why did you decide to become a Fellow? As someone who is a product of New York City public schools, I wanted the opportunity to give back and improve on some of the shortcomings I remember from my school experience. I also liked the idea of a subsidized Master s. For awhile, I had worked on the business side of the entertainment industry in California. The work was lucrative but left you with a substantial feeling of Who cares? What are some challenges you ve tackled in your classroom? I work with a population of students who are predominantly Spanish-speaking immigrants mostly from the Dominican Republic and Mexico. I don t speak much Spanish, so it s difficult at times to communicate with the parents. But I ve been able to get my hands on some books in Spanish that the parents read at home with my students. My students didn t have a love of reading when they came in. But through our year-long study of Roald Dahl books, they scramble to finish his books and to start the next one. Their zeal for books now leaves me awestruck. When you reflect on the school year and you compare what students are doing now to what they did when they walked into your class in September, you can't help but feel proud of yourself and of them. Teaching in New York City Schools The NYC Department of Education is by far the largest school system in the country, with the most diverse student population. Over one million students in grades K-12 speak more than 150 languages at home. With this scale comes a rich variety of individual schools. Each school operates as its own unique, vibrant learning community, a true reflection of the diversity of New York City. New York City is also the country s most rapidly improving urban school system, uncompromisingly committed to learning and achievement for all its students. In the last five years, more than $350 million in funds have been shifted out of central administration and redirected into classrooms. Class sizes have been reduced by eight percent, and there are additional plans for a $13 billion facilities improvement project in place. New York City schools have partnerships with more than 200 city arts and cultural organizations. In 2007, Mayor Bloomberg accepted the Broad Prize for Urban Education recognizing New York City as the nation s most improved urban school district. Among its other accomplishments, New York City was recognized for: Making significant progress in closing the achievement gap for Hispanic and African-American students. Outperforming other districts in New York State serving students of similar income levels in reading and math at all grades levels. New York City s graduation rate is the highest it has been in decades, up almost 18 percent since 2002.

7 To learn more or apply, visit: 65 Court Street, Room 322 Brooklyn, NY