Training & Development
As a Philadelphia Teaching Fellow, you will be required to attend an intensive pre-service Training Institute. For the Mid-year Program, this Training Institute will take place in January, 2009, and for the Summer Program, the Training Institute will take place in July-August, 2009.

The Training Institute will include:

• A teaching assignment/observation opportunity in a Philadelphia school with on-site guidance from experienced faculty
  
  
• Professional development seminars with experienced teachers on student standards, foundations of teaching, classroom management, and other skills necessary to become an effective teacher in a high-need school
  
  
• Discussions and activities about the challenges and benefits of teaching in a diverse, urban educational setting
  
  
• An opportunity for networking with other Fellows who have made the same commitment to improve the quality of education for Philadelphia's school children

Our training institute is grounded in a research-based curriculum specifically focused on increasing the achievement of low-income, high-need students.

Applicants should be aware that the pre-service Training Institute schedule will be rigorous, with many long days. We believe that this preparatory time is critical, and a great deal of material will be consolidated into a few short weeks. Fellows should prepare themselves for a very demanding training experience. All training events are mandatory.

Fellows will be paid a $1,500 stipend after successfully completing the Training Institute and all related requirements. Applicants should be aware that this stipend will be taxed and will not be distributed until the completion of the Training Institute. Fellows should prepare themselves financially for this transition.

Ongoing Development

A new teacher’s first year is particularly challenging, and Teaching Fellows should anticipate long hours and intense effort - especially in the first semester. In addition, a Fellow’s ability to solve problems creatively and independently will play an extremely important role in that teacher’s success, primarily because Fellows often work in high-need schools with limited resources. However, as new teachers, Fellows also have access to several sources of support.

While the Fellowship program office staff is responsible for the administration and coordination of the program – a task that typically includes logistical support (e.g. ensuring that Fellows are enrolled in and informed about the certification program), program communications (e.g. periodic e-mail messages and newsletters), and special events such as meetings and social gatherings, the program office is not equipped to offer full classroom and school-based support throughout the year.

Fellows’ schools, the District, and/or university programs should be counted on to offer additional sources of support. Colleague mentor programs provide additional support. Other District-sponsored workshops and professional development events are also available on a regular basis. In addition, Fellows participate in a range of university courses that are focused on skills and theories for teaching and childhood development.

The District and its schools work hard to offer a range of support services to all new teachers, but Fellows often find that the most important avenue of ongoing support comes from within the community of other new teachers - and Fellows in particular - who are experiencing similar successes and struggles. School assignment and training events will facilitate connections among Fellows who will be teaching the same subjects and who will be clustered together in schools or areas of the city. New Teaching Fellows will be able to draw on these connections as a resource for planning, reflection, and shared encouragement as they strive for excellence in their individual classrooms. Other resources may include monthly meetings with other Philadelphia Teaching Fellows to share experiences and newsletters to keep you informed of opportunities, events, and teaching trends.