New York City Teaching Fellows

New York City Teaching Fellows
Name	New York City Teaching Fellows
Formation	2000
Founder	Joel Klein (Chancellor), Michael Bloomberg (Mayor)
Type	Teacher preparation program
Headquarters	New York City
Location	Brooklyn, Manhattan, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island
Region served	New York City Department of Education
Language	English
Parent organization	The New Teacher Project (partnered)

Contents

New York City Teaching Fellows is an alternative teacher preparation initiative launched in 2000 to recruit, train, and place career-changers and recent graduates into teaching positions in New York City public schools. The program operated in partnership with the New York City Department of Education, municipal leadership including Michael Bloomberg and Joel Klein, and nonprofit providers such as The New Teacher Project. It focused on addressing teacher shortages in high-need neighborhoods across Brooklyn, Bronx, Harlem, Queens, Staten Island, and Upper Manhattan while aligning with credentialing bodies like the New York State Education Department.

History

The program was created amid policy shifts influenced by figures including Rudolph Giuliani's successor, Michael Bloomberg, and school reform advocates such as Joel Klein and organizations like Teach For America and The New Teacher Project. Early development drew on research from scholars at Columbia University's Teachers College, Harvard Graduate School of Education, and policy recommendations by The Manhattan Institute and The Brookings Institution. Implementation intersected with initiatives from the New York City Department of Education under chancellors like Joel Klein and subsequent leaders associated with reforms championed by Arne Duncan at the U.S. Department of Education. Funding and philanthropic support came from sources including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, and local philanthropic actors such as Robin Hood Foundation and NYC Opportunity. The program evolved through partnerships with higher education institutions including Baruch College, Hunter College, City College of New York, Fordham University, and CUNY Graduate Center.

The program combined elements of alternative certification models used by Teach For America and university-based residencies associated with Bank Street College of Education and Teachers College, Columbia University. Candidates undertook summer institutes influenced by curricula from Relay Graduate School of Education and standards set by the New York State Education Department and the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation. Coursework often referenced pedagogical frameworks promoted by scholars and practitioners connected to Linda Darling-Hammond, Diane Ravitch, E.D. Hirsch, Howard Gardner, and methodologies used in HighScope and Montessori contexts adapted for urban classrooms. Training emphasized classroom management approaches akin to those advocated in works by Harry Wong and content-aligned methods paralleling Danielson Framework for Teaching. Assessments prepared candidates for certification exams such as the New York State Teacher Certification Exams and content-specific assessments aligned with standards influenced by the Common Core State Standards Initiative.

Recruitment drew applicants from graduate programs at institutions such as Columbia University, New York University, Princeton University, Yale University, Harvard University, Brown University, Cornell University, University of Pennsylvania, Rutgers University, Pennsylvania State University, SUNY Stony Brook, SUNY Binghamton, Fordham University, Baruch College, CUNY Hunter College, and professional networks including AmeriCorps alumni and members of LinkedIn groups. Selection criteria emphasized academic credentials, subject-matter expertise comparable to candidates from Massachusetts Institute of Technology or California Institute of Technology in STEM fields, and demonstrated commitment similar to applicants to Peace Corps or Teach For America. Training included summer residency modeled after practice-based programs such as Urban Teachers and ongoing mentoring by master teachers with influences from mentoring approaches developed in Chicago Public Schools under reforms initiated by leaders like Arne Duncan and Paul Vallas.

Alumni filled critical vacancies in schools across networks including Success Academy Charter Schools-adjacent arenas, District 75 special education settings, and traditional schools in South Bronx, Brownsville (Brooklyn), East New York, Washington Heights, and Central Brooklyn. Evaluation studies compared retention and effectiveness alongside outcomes reported by Teach For America, NYSED statistics, and independent research from institutions like RAND Corporation, Mathematica Policy Research, Educational Testing Service, and researchers at Columbia Teachers College. Influences were noted in teacher pipeline discussions in other districts such as Los Angeles Unified School District, Chicago Public Schools, Boston Public Schools, and Atlanta Public Schools. Graduation and certification rates were tracked vis-à-vis benchmarks used by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and reports cited in publications including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Education Week, and academic journals published by Springer and Taylor & Francis.

Critiques paralleled debates involving Teach For America, raising concerns highlighted by education scholars like Diane Ravitch and Jonathan Kozol about short-term placements and preparation depth. Labor organizations including the United Federation of Teachers and American Federation of Teachers questioned impacts on collective bargaining, working conditions, and teacher professionalism. Policy analysts at The Century Foundation and commentators in outlets such as The New Yorker and The Atlantic debated effectiveness, retention, and equity implications, often referencing statistical methods used by Brookings Institution researchers and meta-analyses by What Works Clearinghouse. Controversies also touched on associations with philanthropic actors like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and management practices compared to models in Denver Public Schools and Newark Public Schools.

Leaders and alumni emerged in school leadership, district administration, nonprofit organizations, and policy circles, joining institutions such as New York City Department of Education, Teach For America, The New Teacher Project, Relay Graduate School of Education, Success Academy Charter Schools, Uncommon Schools, KIPP Foundation, Harlem Children’s Zone, Robin Hood Foundation, City Year, AmeriCorps, and higher education faculties at Columbia University and NYU. Prominent affiliated figures include policymakers and educators who have worked with city officials like Michael Bloomberg, Bill de Blasio, and chancellors tied to Joel Klein’s tenure, and who have been featured in media from The New York Times to Forbes.

Category:Teacher training programs in the United States