Who We Want

Working as an Indianapolis Teaching Fellow is more than a job; it’s a commitment to students who are counting on your help to beat the odds and achieve their full potential. Each day will bring unexpected challenges and immeasurable rewards.    

There is no one profile of an ideal candidate.

• You could be a high-achieving recent college graduate who majored in economics or physics and now wants to share your passion for these subjects with Indianapolis and Northwest Indiana students.
• You may have built a successful career in business or engineering, and now wish to give back as a teacher working with high-need students.
• You may have experience working with young people as a social worker or tutor, and now wish to make a career in education.

Whatever your background, you share a commitment to improving student achievement and changing the lives of students in some of Indiana's traditionally underserved communities.

Because we know that great teachers are the key to student success, our program is highly selective—admitting and recommending only 8% of applicants into the classroom in 2012. We look for highly-motivated individuals with diverse personal and professional backgrounds who have the capacity to be successful teaching in one of the districts’ critical-need subjects: math, biology, chemistry, Spanish, and special education (elementary, English and social studies). We review every application carefully, looking for candidates with the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to thrive in some of our city’s most-challenging classrooms.

We are looking for candidates who:

• Are committed to raising achievement among high-need students, including students with disabilities and those who are performing significantly below grade level;
• Recognize that being an effective teacher requires hard work, long days and a commitment to students outside of class time
• Believe that all students can achieve at high levels and that it is their responsibility as the teacher to make that happen
• Demonstrate success in past endeavors
• Persevere in the face of challenges
• Think critically and analytically
• Desire professional growth and seek out opportunities to learn
• Communicate clearly and effectively
• Operate with a high level of integrity

If you have what it takes to inspire and motivate yourself, your colleagues and your students and to work toward closing the achievement gap, we strongly encourage you to apply to join the summer 2014 cohort (application will be available in fall 2013).

A Commitment to Diversity

The proportion of minority teachers in Indianapolis (about 11%) continues to be far lower than the proportion of minority students in area schools (just over 45% in public schools).  We believe it is important to have Fellow and teacher candidates who are representative of the students we teach. Our Fellows teach in schools with high-minority (primarily African-American and Latino) and high-poverty populations, so we value individuals of diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds with records of achievement and a long-term commitment to teaching. Doing so increases student access to teachers with shared backgrounds and has the potential to have added impact on student academic, personal and social outcomes. 35% of our Fellows in 2012 self-identified as people of color.