Inspired Teaching Announces Fellows-In-Residency Partnership with Capital City PCS
The Inspired Teacher Certification Program is proud to announce an exciting partnership with Capital City Public Charter School.
If you've ever talked to a new teacher, you've heard harrowing stories of how difficult it is to feel prepared for your first year in the classroom. What if the first year of teaching could feel more like a second year? Teacher preparation through residency offers an opportunity to assume the responsibilities of teaching in a gradual, supported manner. Center for Inspired Teaching is thrilled to announce its first teacher residency site: Capital City Public Charter School.
Capital City Public Charter School is an award-winning school of choice recognized as a national model for school reform. In 2008, the school had the highest reading and math scores among DC charter elementary schools, and was honored by a visit from President Obama. Capital City implements the Expeditionary Learning model (www.elschools.org) in tandem with the common principles of the Coalition of Essential Schools (www.essentialschools.org.) These approaches emphasize active pedagogy, depth over breadth, a strong social curriculum, and a commitment to equity and diversity. Capital City also boasts a strong inclusion model for learners with special needs. The school serves a highly diverse student population from across the city.
Fellows in residence at Capital City serve as critical sources of support for lead teachers in both the academic and social curricula. Duties include planning lessons and learning expeditions with experienced teachers; working with students in small-group or one-on-one settings; accompanying students on fieldwork; and communicating with parents. The position also includes ongoing training in the skills and dispositions of an effective educator working in a collaborative setting.
As part of a larger cohort of Inspired Teaching Fellows working in schools across the city, and as vital members of the professional community at CCPCS, Inspired Teaching Fellows in Residency at Capital City get the best of both worlds. Participants benefit from the innovative coursework and strong collegial atmosphere offered by Inspired Teaching, and while working at CCPCS, are able to see student-centered teaching in action while developing their own skills in instruction and classroom management.
Participants for this program are selected through the same rigorous process as alternative-route participants in the Inspired Teacher Certification Program, but benefit from a more scaffolded introduction into the teaching profession. Inspired Teaching Fellows in Residence at CCPCS earn a summer stipend and a $25,000 salary and are eligible for health care benefits.Upon successful completion of the Inspired Teacher Certification Program during the summer of 2011, Fellows receive a Regular II teaching license and are eligible for lead teaching positions in DCPS as well as in charter and independent schools.
