Become a Teacher — Kansas Teaching Fellows

April 1, 2010 is the last day to submit an application for the 2010-2011 Fellows.

Contact Us:

Phone:	(913) 279-2389
Fax:	(913) 400-7270
E-mail:	fellows@sunflower.com or lcegelis@pittstate.edu
Mail:	Kansas Teaching Fellows • P.O. Box 12386 • Kansas City, KS 66112

What is the Kansas Teaching Fellows program?

The Kansas Teaching Fellows program is an alternative certification program that recruits outstanding professionals to become teachers in high-needs public schools in Kansas. Approved candidates earn a Master's Degree in Teaching from an accredited partnering university.

This Kansas City, Kansas Fellows program was started as a partnership between the Kansas City, Kansas Public School District, Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas, and The New Teacher Project out of New York City, New York, with the goal of preparing second-career professionals to teach in the high-needs classrooms of the Kansas City, Kansas school district. The New Teacher Project mentored the Fellows program until the district and the university could manage the program components. The school district was able to provide personnel to facilitate the partnership for a total of nine consecutive school years.

Attend our information session on Tuesday, March 2, 2010, from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. at J.C. Harmon High School (2400 Steel Road, Kansas City, Kansas). Call Loni Elrod at 913- 279-2389 to RSVP.

In 2009, unfortunately, severe financial shortages resulted in position cuts throughout the district, including that of Alternative Certification Coordinator and several classroom teachers. Until this school year, the district always had vacancies in which to place program participants. As of this writing, only five of the 19 members of Fellows Cohort IX have secured teaching positions in the district. The others are waiting for openings that may occur next school year or pursuing openings in other districts. The structure of the Fellows program has had to change.

Even though the Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools can no longer promise positions to program participants, the Kansas Teaching Fellows program can prepare for the lack of teachers projected by researchers for the coming years. We know that one or two year's time will bring an increase in the need for high-performing new teachers. Retirement-age teachers, who held on to their positions temporarily because of the financial climate, will begin to retire in record numbers all across the nation.

Educational leaders from the school district and the university, who have been instrumental in developing and refining this alternative certification program since its inception have found a way to continue it. The challenge of not being able to place all new fellows in KCK schools necessitates our expansion. Under our revised structure, we intend to prepare new recruits for classrooms in need throughout our immediate region and even the state; hence the program's name change, from Kansas City, Kansas Fellows to Kansas Teaching Fellows.

Attend our information session on Tuesday, March 2, 2010, from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. at J.C. Harmon High School (2400 Steel Road, Kansas City, Kansas). Call Loni Elrod at 913-279-2389 to RSVP.

Our Mission

The mission of the Kansas Teaching Fellows Program is to recruit and select high-achieving individuals from other careers to secondary teaching careers (middle school and high school) for high-needs schools in Kansas, and particularly the greater Kansas City area. Our selection process screens for the candidate's exceptional performance in school or career. We want the best possible teachers for Kansas school children, so we select for critical thinking, potential for achievement, a disposition toward constant learning, evidence of commitment, and sensitivity to societal issues. Teacher quality is the number one factor impacting student achievement. We intend to guarantee high-quality new teachers to schools in need.

Eligibility Requirements

The Kansas Teaching Fellows program welcomes applicants from mid-career professionals as well as recent college graduates from all fields who demonstrate commitment to urban education. Previous experience or coursework in education is neither expected nor required. Requirements include ...

• a minimum of a bachelor's degree with a major in a content area (i.e. math, science, Spanish, English, history or social studies, business, PE, the arts, etc.)
• a minimum overall grade-point average (GPA) of 2.5 (on a 4.0 scale) with a GPA of 3.0 in your major field

Applicants should have a strong desire to serve communities in poverty and to make a difference in students' lives. Individuals who speak Spanish are in high demand as long as they meet the above requirements.

The Application Process

April 1, 2010 is the last day to submit an application for the 2010-2011 Fellows.

Applications are pre-screened for eligibility to teach in an area of need and GPA requirements, as well as for appropriate course work in a field for which the applicant could be certified to teach. An unofficial or official transcript must be mailed to The Kansas Teaching Fellows at P.O. Box 12386, Kansas City, Kansas 66112 as soon as you apply online. [An official transcript will be due before training starts if you are selected to the program.]

The selection process is rigorous and competitive. Candidates who meet eligibility requirements are invited to an interview event. During the interview event, candidates are evaluated by trained selectors through a number of activities, including an observed group discussion, a short teaching demonstration, a writing sample, and a one-on-one interview. The selectors recommend high-performing candidates to the program. After an interview event, the candidate will receive a letter or an e-mail notifying them whether or not they were recommended for the program. If they are recommended, the candidate must submit an official transcript from every institution of higher education that they attended. The candidate will not be able to start training until official transcripts are submitted by all institution(s).

Training

Upon acceptance into the Kansas Teaching Fellows, all new Fellows will enroll in Pittsburg State University's Master's of Arts degree program. As soon as they are accepted into the program, Fellows complete a total of eight hours of observations in KCK school district classrooms, four hours in middle school(s) and four hours in high school(s). Observation forms guide Fellows' interpretation of what they observe and are included in their course requirements for CURIN 840 Positive Classroom Management, which is one of their first class requirements.

Fellows' course work begins in the summer immediately following acceptance into the program. The summer institute consists of seven weeks of intensive pre-service training from late May to mid-July. This course work is delivered by experienced practitioners and education leaders from the Kansas City, Kansas school district. The summer institute is often referred to as "teacher boot camp." The goal of the institute is to develop awareness and sensitivity to critical issues that impact the daily lives of urban students and their families, to prepare the fledgling teachers to manage a classroom in a high-needs school, to understand theories and to implement practices that will increase the likelihood of their success in the classroom, including the development of instructional units and daily lesson plans.

The classes that make up the content for Summer Institute are CURIN 840 Positive Classroom Management, CURIN 851 Multicultural Approaches to Diversity in the Classroom, and CURIN 843 Trends and Issues, which amounts to nine credit hours toward the Master's degree.

During the next two years, the Fellows complete a course of study that requires them to attend two courses per semester. (See Program of Study through Pittsburg State University.)

back to top

Placement and Support

Upon successful completion of the Summer Institute, Fellows may apply for openings in the KCK school district as well as openings in surrounding districts. Kansas Teaching Fellows personnel offer help in preparing Fellows for interviews, and the Fellows cohort members help one another learn of openings and application opportunities.

If they secure a teaching position right away, Fellows can begin teaching in their own classrooms in August following the Summer Institute. Like all beginning teachers, Fellows will be supported through their hiring district's induction program, which typically provides mentors from the new teacher's building staff and other support. In KCK all teachers participate in weekly staff development sessions.

Fellows teach full-time under a restricted license from the state of Kansas while working toward their Master's in Teaching from PSU, attending classes with their cohort. Upon successful completion of the program of study, Fellows will have their Master's in Teaching and will apply for their initial Kansas license.

Compensation

Attend our information session on Tuesday, March 2, 2010, from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. at J.C. Harmon High School (2400 Steel Road, Kansas City, Kansas). Call Loni Elrod at 913- 279-2389 to RSVP.

Fellows begin their first year of teaching with a contracted teacher's salary. A beginning teacher's salary in KCK for the 2010-2011 school year is $38,500. Salary increases may be obtained as additional classes are completed. Once the Master's degree is completed, Fellows are paid at the Master's level. Other benefits that begin in the fall of the first year of teaching include, for most districts, sick leave, health insurance, and participation in the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System (K-PERS). Group dental and vision plans may also be part of the hiring district's benefits package.

Tuition

Fellows are responsible for payment of their tuition to Pittsburg State University. They may contact the financial aid offices at PSU to inquire about financial aid possibilities (620-235-4240). In the past, tuition reimbursement for KCK hires was awarded to Fellows who committed to stay in KCK employ for four years. That may still be possible for the next school year. Fellows are also responsible for the purchase of required textbooks for each course.

For years, the federal government has offered tuition loan forgiveness to individuals who teach in high-needs districts for five consecutive years. Fellows who are shopping for loans should research what kind of loans have been forgiven through such programs in case these programs continue to be offered.

Results

The Kansas Teaching Fellows program (under its other three names over the past nine years) has prepared nine groups of first-year teachers through this alternative certification program. The first group of Fellows began teaching during the 2001-2002 school year. All members of the first eight cohorts were placed and taught in KCK schools or schools in surroundings districts. To date, approximately 150 Fellows are teaching in KCK.

The incorporation of high-performing second-career professionals into the KCK workforce coincides with the district's impressive academic progress over the past nine years. Principals in KCK now clamor to interview Fellows for their vacancies because they have learned how effective and committed they can be.

Most first-year Fellows experience obstacles and challenges similar to traditionally prepared teachers, but in their second year, Fellows typically begin to emerge as leaders in their schools, and in five years or so, Fellows typically begin to take on building and district leadership roles as well. Currently, four Fellows from cohorts I, II, and III have been promoted to instructional coaches in KCK. Two Fellows have secured a building administrator's position. Another currently works at the district level in a Community Relations position. Several others are leaders of their school-based teaching teams.

In addition to KCK, we have Fellows teaching in the following school districts: Shawnee Mission, Blue Valley, Desoto, Turner, and Lawrence.

Still have questions? Visit our FAQ page.

To apply now go to the application instructions page.

Contact Us:

Phone:	(913) 279-2389
Fax:	(913) 400-7270
E-mail:	fellows@sunflower.com or lcegelis@pittstate.edu
Mail:	Kansas Teaching Fellows • P.O. Box 12386 • Kansas City, KS 66112

back to top