To support your continued impact, Teach For America is dedicating resources to invest in your professional development, offering a curated selection of opportunities designed specifically for teachers! This year, we are prioritizing alumni teachers in their 3rd to 5th year of teaching. We will also consider teachers further in their careers, but early career teachers will be prioritized in assigning spots. To be eligible, all alumni will need to submit the application statement and then can preference their program choices. We will try our best to give you your first preference, but due to the competitive and limited nature of some offerings, we may offer you other options. All opportunities are fully sponsored by Teach For America.
Review the options below and then fill out this interest form by September 9th, 2024!
Menu of Programs
What: The AIM Pathways interactive digital teacher training platform delivers research-based content in the Science of Reading. Its fully online courses offer in-depth literacy instruction, complemented by sessions with AIM facilitators to help integrate this knowledge into classroom practice.
TFA is sponsoring alumni to take these courses, offering a choice between a reading course and a writing course. Check out the pacing guides for more information on the dates and times of live courses. There is one option for reading and two for writing.
Who: Prioritization around literacy teachers but also all subject areas that support students with reading and writing
When: Reading: Nov 4- June 25) (Need to select either 4-5PM EST or 6-7PM EST , Writing Option 1 :October 28- March 24 (4:15-5:15 EST) , Writing Option 2: November 7- March 27 (6:15-7:15 EST)
What: The Aspire program offers a flexible, self-paced digital class designed to help educators accelerate literacy skills in students from 4th to 8th grade.
TFA is sponsoring educators supporting grades 4th-8th to participate in unlimited on demand asynchronous literacy training for a year. You can watch this video to learn more about the course here.
Who: Grades 4th-8th
When: Access for a full year
What: The Lexia LETRS® (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) Suite offers comprehensive professional learning for early childhood and elementary educators and administrators, equipping them to become literacy and language experts in the science of reading. Through this program, participants will master essential reading and writing instruction skills, including phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and written language. The suite includes 8 courses, priced at $1,900, but free to selected participants.
TFA is sponsoring 8 live sessions, course materials, and asynchronous learning sessions to complete Year 1 of LETRS training. Check out the pacing guide here!
Who: Teachers of Early Childhood through Elementary students
When: Live Class Times 12-3 EST: October 12, October 19, January 11, January 18, March 15, March 22, May 10, May 17, Roughly 90 Hours of Asynchronous Course Work
What: YouCubed offers three online courses for educators: “Mathematical Mindsets,” “How to Learn Math for Teachers,” and “21st Century Teaching and Learning: Data Science.” “Mathematical Mindsets” explores a teaching approach from an 18-lesson intervention that improved student achievement by the equivalent of 2.8 years of school. “How to Learn Math for Teachers,” now in its second edition, is Jo Boaler’s groundbreaking course. The newest course, “21st Century Teaching and Learning: Data Science,” equips educators to teach and learn with a modern approach.
TFA is fully sponsoring one course for participants this year.
Who: All Teachers
When: Can enroll at anytime, Workload: 30 hours total
https://www.youcubed.org/resource/online-courses-for-teachers
What: Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer the stuff of the future; today’s students can expect to interact with AI in both their personal and professional lives. To prepare students for success, educators need to understand how AI technologies can be leveraged to facilitate learning and solve real-world problems.
In Artificial Intelligence Explorations for Educators, you’ll learn to identify the various types of AI, hear about AI technologies on the horizon and build some of your own tools to make AI concrete and accessible for you and your students.
This year, TFA is fully sponsoring one course for participants.
Who: All Teachers
When: Fall 2024 Session: October 7 – December 8, Enrollment Period: Until October 7, Spring 2025 Session: February 10 – April 6, Workload: 15 hours total
https://iste.org/courses/artificial-intelligence-explorations-for-educators
What: Teach For America will be piloting a new development opportunity for recent alumni, the Alumni Teacher Toolbox (ATT). ATT provides alumni with access to cutting-edge, AI-powered edtech tools that can help them be more effective, and more efficient educators. In addition to using edtech tools, participants will benefit from cohort learning experiences and opportunities to engage with edtech developers. Sign our waitlist to get more information about this exciting experience!
Participating in this program does not render one ineligible for other program participation. It can run concurrent to other programs.
Who: TFA Alumni in their 3rd-5th Year of Teaching
When: Program will begin in mid-Fall and continue through Spring
What: TFA is sponsoring alums to participate in the Flourish Healing Centered Engagement Course to effectively support young people. Healing Centered Engagement is an asset-based and culturally-rooted approach to healing and well-being for young people of color and their adult allies. The online certification course is self-paced, and includes videos, animated scenarios, interactive and reflective learning activities, as well as supplemental learning resources. Upon completion, alums can receive CEU credits. Upon completion, participants will be able to: Describe distinctions between healing centered engagement and trauma informed approaches, assess the impact of social toxins to the well-being of individuals, relationships, and institutions, identify the five principles of Healing Centered Engagement, and critique and analyze activities that promote development of Healing Centered Engagement principles necessary for holistic healing.
This certification course is available for six months after purchase and can be completed asynchronously.
Who: Any teacher that supports BIPOC students
When: This certification course is available for six months after purchase and can be completed asynchronously. Curriculum details can be found here.
What: CAST is a nonprofit education research and development organization that created the Universal Design for Learning framework and UDL Guidelines, now used all over the world to make learning more inclusive. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) equips educators with practical strategies to accommodate learner variability, ensuring all students can meet high expectations.
TFA is sponsoring alumni to complete this non-facilitated, self-directed online course designed for preK-12 educators and administrators. Participants will delve into the UDL framework and guidelines, fostering the creation of inclusive classrooms. Participants will have 3 months to finish the coursework.
You can preview more information on the course here.
Who: Special Education Teachers + Anyone Supporting Diverse Learners
When: Participants will have 3 months to finish the coursework before Summer 2025.
What: This program offers teachers the chance to stand out as knowledgeable and supportive leaders in their professional communities. As a member of the ILC cohort, you’ll gain and share expertise through courses that combine insights from HGSE faculty, the latest research, and fellow practitioners’ experiences.
The year-long certificate program consists of four distinct modules, each divided into six one-week segments requiring three to four hours of work per week, including a practice challenge for contextual application. The program also includes opportunities for individual reflection, application, and peer feedback. Participants will earn 20 PD clock hours upon completing each course.
To earn the Instructional Leadership Certificate, participants must complete all four ILC courses. We are sponsoring two of the four modules, which can be taken in any order, though the “Intangibles of Teaching” module is recommended as the foundational course.
TFA is fully sponsoring two courses this year.
Who: Teachers with an interest in leadership
When: Oct 3, 2024 – Nov 14, 2024, Application deadline: Sept 25, 2024
