Current full-time college undergraduates, full-time graduate students, Teach For America alumni, and previous Ignite Fellows. Must have a minimum GPA of 2.5 (minimum HS GPA 3.0 for college freshmen). Must be eligible to work in the U.S. U.S. citizens, national or legal permanent residents, or Deferred Action For Childhood Arrivals/DACA recipients). International students on work visas are not eligible.

Desire to work alongside K-8 students to positively impact their learning, growth and sense of belonging. Interest in and knowledge of Teach For America’s mission. Understanding of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Understanding and interest in combating educational inequity. Evidence of fulfilling commitments and strong organizational skills. Ability to participate in training, onboarding, and fellowship readiness prior to the start of tutoring with students. Commitment to complete the entire Ignite fellowship over the course of the semester.

Eligibility questions, information about work experiences and other leadership roles or community involvements (in lieu of a resume), demographic information, some short answer questions (300 words or less), disclosure of misdemeanor or felony charges and/or convictions in the last 10 years, and a recorded video reflection of a hypothetical scenario with a student.

There is an abbreviated application for early admits and alumni. You will be able to identify yourself in the eligibility questions on the general application and the system will transfer you to the abbreviated application.

Yes! As a previous Fellow, you are able to renew your commitment via an abbreviated application. You will be able to identify yourself as a previous Fellow on the first page of the general application and the system will transfer you to the abbreviated application where you will update your contact information and respond to one short answer question.

Applying to Ignite is separate from applying to the Teach For America corps – the full-time teaching position available to those with a bachelor’s degree post-graduation. The part-time Ignite Fellowship builds on Teach For America’s decades of experience recruiting, developing, and supporting talent and partnering with communities across the country to help students overcome the systemic barriers to an excellent education.

Ignite Fellows can go on to become Teach For America corps members by applying directly to the corps. Fellows do not receive the same benefits as corps members; they are not currently eligible for AmeriCorps or loan forbearance.

Fellows are not employees of TFA, but they do receive an award for their service as an Ignite Fellow currently of $1200, pre-tax, as a lump sum at the end of their Fellowship term (Dec/Jan for Fall Fellows, May for Spring Fellows). It is important to note that the amount of tax will vary depending on the individual’s tax situation and TFA does not give guidance as to how much a Fellow can expect to be taxed (please consult a tax professional for more information specific to your situation). Fellows will receive this money via direct deposit.

The commitment with students is entirely virtual and during school hours. Given our program is hyper-local, school schedules vary based on need and time zone. Typically, Fellows can expect to work with students directly about 3 hours a week, partner with their school trainer for about 1 hour every other week, and complete any prep or independent work for about 1-2 hours a week. On average, we expect Fellows will work about 5 hours per week. Both days and times with students are pre-set and cannot be adjusted. However, you will have the opportunity to choose the student learning group that works best for your schedule.

Some example schedules:
M.T.W.Th.F 2:25-2:55 pm
M.T.Th.F 12:37-1:17 pm
T.W.TH 10:45-11:45 am

The Fall Fellowship runs from Sept. 18 – Dec. 15, 2023. Fellows engage in 2 weeks of synchronous and asynchronous training beginning on Sept. 18. Tutoring with students begins the week of Oct. 2 and finishes on December 18, 2023.

The Spring Fellowship runs from Feb. 5 – May 3, 2024. Fellows engage in 2 weeks of synchronous and asynchronous training, beginning on Feb. 3. Tutoring with students begins the week of Feb. 19 and finishes on May 3, 2024.

Fellows will work with between 2 and 4 students at a time, depending on the needs of the school.

After you apply you will be notified if you have been accepted and will have the opportunity to sign up with a student learning group. A few weeks before the start of the Fellowship, you will be able to review a sign-up tool that gives an overview of available days, times, grades, subjects, and regions. You are then able to sign up for the student learning group that best fits your schedule.

However, it is important to note that this is a first-come, first-serve approach. There is a possibility that there will not be an available time slot that aligns with your schedule, but you do have the option to defer to the following semester.

You will have the opportunity to meet other Fellows in the program through the virtual live orientations that take place prior to the Fellowship. While there may be other Fellows working with your same school, how you interact with them will depend on the school set up.

The Fellowship is virtual and currently is taking place with ~90 schools across 28 Teach For America communities.

These communities include: Austin, California Capital Valley, Connecticut, D.C. Region, Detroit, Greater Delta (Mississippi & Arkansas), Greater New Orleans, Greater Philadelphia, Hawai’i, Houston, Idaho, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Metro Atlanta, Nashville-Chattanooga, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma (Greater Tulsa & Oklahoma City), Permian Basin, Phoenix, Rhode Island, Rio Grande Valley, St. Louis, San Antonio, South Carolina, South Louisiana, and St. Louis. There are no opportunities to engage in-person and schools in these regions are already predetermined.

This will depend on the school you are matched with. Some examples of tech platforms being used are Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts, etc. You will need a computer with speaker, microphone, and camera access, as well as a strong and secure internet connection.

We are still in the process of testing this and will have updated information regarding this in the near future.

Fellows are allowed to have a maximum of two absences. Research on high-impact tutoring shows that consistency of a tutor is critical to students feeling safe with their tutor, and growing academically. For this reason, we expect all Fellows to be at all tutoring sessions, but allow up to 2 absences for un-moveable or emergency events.

This depends on your university internship policies. Figuring out what is needed for internship credit is up to you and the program you are in. We are happy to help support with documentation if needed.

Ignite is spread out across all U.S. time zones. During the sign-up process, we ask that people pay close attention to the time zone listed and convert to their local time if needed. It is important to know how your time zone aligns with other time zones when going through the sign-up process.

Additionally, for Fellows placed with a school in Arizona or who live in Arizona, there are special directions when it comes to Daylight Savings time as Arizona does not participate in Daylight Savings practices. This means that for Fellows matched with Arizona but who are located in a different time zone, or for Fellows who live in Arizona but are matched with a school in another state, there will be a shift in your time part way through the Fellowship. Please use an online time zone converter to check specific dates.

Ignite focuses on a sense of belonging. The science of learning and development shows that students need to feel connected with educators in order to grow academically. Based on this, we are focusing on fostering belonging (as well as accelerating literacy or math learning) to meet student needs.

It is important for students to feel like they belong not only in the virtual space you all are creating but also in their broader school. The Ignite team will provide resources, inspiration, and some training on how to create a sense of belonging with your students.

There is not a standard curriculum. Research on high-impact tutoring shows that tutoring is most effective when aligned to what students are learning in their classes; for that reason we don’t have a standardized curriculum, and each school uses a tutoring curriculum customized to their school.

Your school trainer will support you to learn and become effective at working with the type of curriculum needed for tutoring. Additionally, Ignite will provide asynchronous and synchronous trainings around the foundations of teaching.

You will work with a veteran teacher who works at your Ignite partner school and will serve as a trainer. They will be your main point of contact and your liaison with the school, teachers, and students

We focus on literacy for grades Kindergarten through third grade and math for grades six through eight. In grades four and five, literacy or math are prioritized based on school and student needs. Additionally, we do have some placements in bilingual schools, requiring fluency in Spanish. These placements will be clearly marked.

Yes! Fellows will receive some support in the subject matter and lesson plans for every session. In addition, there is ample time before the fellowship to brush up on your grade-level skills.