We are currently accepting applications for our Summer 2013 cohort, and applying is easy using our online application. Candidates are considered on a rolling basis so we strongly encourage you to apply as early as possible.
All prospective TEACH Charlotte participants will apply using a common TNTP Teaching Fellows application. When completing the application, you may indicate a preference for more than one program site. You will be considered independently for each site you preference, and we hope you will list TEACH Charlotte as one of your top preferences!
Here are the top 3 reasons to preference TEACH Charlotte:
Student Need: In Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, only 1 in 2 economically disadvantaged students are on grade level in both math and reading. Become a teacher to give all students in Charlotte an opportunity to succeed. TEACH for this 50 percent.
A Progressive District: In 2011, Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools was awarded the Broad Prize for Urban Education, a national prize that awards large, urban school districts who demonstrate substantial improvement in increasing student achievement and closing the achievement gap. Learn more here.
A Prime Location: Known for being an affordable city, Charlotte is also a prime hub for entertainment. With two professional sports teams, a thriving museum center, and a short drive to both mountains and beaches, Charlotte offers entertainment to satisfy all interests.
You will need to be familiar with the site-specific eligibility requirements and available subjects offered at each of your preferred site(s). A complete application includes the electronic application form, your résumé, and responses to three application questions. Our program requires the submission of a $25 processing fee. Before your application is considered complete and ready to be reviewed, you must download our Processing Fee Guide and follow the instructions to submit your processing fee payment.
Your application will only be reviewed when all of these elements are completed. Please take particular care with your responses to each of the application questions; they enable us not only to evaluate your writing and critical thinking skills, but also to gain a sense of your commitment to teaching high-need students.
You must provide a 200 - 400 word response for each of the questions below:
- Nearly all Fellows are hired to teach in 'high need' schools that are located in low-income communities. Why do you want to teach specifically in a high need school? What challenges do you expect raising student achievement in your classroom and what experiences have prepared you for overcoming these challenges? How will you translate that experience to prepare for your first year of teaching in a high need school?
- You are a first year teacher in a high need school, with two months left until the end of the academic year. You implement fun and engaging activities in class and offer tutoring 3‐4 times a week; however, one third of your students failed the last grading period. Several of these students consistently break established classroom rules by listening to their iPods, not turning in work, or engaging in off‐topic conversation. Many of your students worry that because of all the distractions in class, they will not be prepared to pass the end‐of‐year standardized exam, which is required to move to the next grade level. You reach out to your principal for help. The principal states that other teachers with the same level of experience are more effective and you assure her that you already reached out to them, as well as more experienced teachers, for advice.
- What are the likely causes of the challenges in your classroom?
- Explain your top two priorities for addressing these challenges, including why you chose these priorities.
- Given the strategies you've identified, what is the likelihood you could ensure high academic achievement for all of your students, and why?
- Three weeks into the school year at a high need school, you notice that one of your third grade students is consistently disengaged during lessons. She rarely answers questions, and when you call on her, she typically shrugs her shoulders and says, "I don't know." Even when other students are engaged, you often find her looking out the window or putting her head down on her desk. Your assessments show that the student is well-below grade level in reading and mathematics. To address this situation, you arrange a meeting with the student and her mother after school.
- What academic outcomes do you expect for this student?
- What messages will you share with the student and her mother?
- Are there any other steps you would take outside of this meeting to address the situation?
Prospective participants who demonstrate strong potential to be an effective teacher for a preferred program site will be contacted directly by that program within 3-4 weeks of submitting their application.