Application Information
Current full-time and part-time college undergraduates, full-time and part-time graduate students, admitted Teach For America corps members, and Teach For America alumni. 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-12 students to positively impact their learning, growth and sense of belonging.
- Interest in and knowledge of Teach For America’s mission working to create educational excellence for all children.
- Ability to build relationships across lines of difference.
- Evidence of fulfilling commitments with a strong orientation to learning and self reflection.
- Ability to organize schedule 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, 4 short answer questions (300 words or less), disclosure of misdemeanor or felony charges and/or convictions in the last 7 years, and recorded video reflections of 2 hypothetical scenarios with a student and with an Ignite Site Leader.
There is a shortened application for admitted corps members and TFA alumni. You will be able to identify yourself in the eligibility questions on the general application and the system will transfer you to the shortened application with approximately 1 short answer question.
In the majority of cases, renewing fellows, accepted corps members, TFA alums, and previously accepted new fellows (deferrals) will be automatically accepted into the Fellowship. However there may be some instances where we hold your application for further review and may reach out to you to learn more (i.e. due to your response to the short answer question or your previous experience in the Fellowship).
Yes! As a previous fellow, you are able to renew your commitment via a shortened application. You will be able to identify yourself as having previously completed 1 or more semesters in the eligibililty questions on the general application and the system will transfer you to the shortened application where you will update your contact information and respond to one short answer question.
In the majority of cases, renewing fellows, accepted corps members, TFA alums, and previously accepted new fellows (deferrals) will be automatically accepted into the Fellowship. However there may be some instances where we hold your application for further review and may reach out to you to learn more (i.e. due to your response to the short answer question or your previous experience in the Fellowship).
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 is a separate program that 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.
All Ignite fellows are automatically fast-tracked to a final interview with Teach For America, should they choose to apply to the corps. Fellows do not receive the same benefits as corps members; they are not currently eligible for AmeriCorps or loan forbearance.
Learning Model
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 or expanding post-secondary access) 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-based Ignite Site Leader 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 an experienced educator who works at your Ignite partner school and will serve as a Ignite Site Leader. They will be your main point of contact and your liaison with the school, teachers, and students.
We focus on literacy for elementary grades, math for middle school grades, and mentorship and SAT prep for high school grades.
Additionally, we do have some placements in dual-language classrooms, 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.
Logistics
The fall Fellowship runs from Sept 9 - Dec 13, 2024.
The spring Fellowship runs from Jan 21 - April 25, 2025.
The first two weeks of these Fellowship dates are for synchronous and asynchronous virtual training. The first week with students is the third week of the Fellowship.
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.
Fellows will work with between 2 and 3 students at a time, depending on the needs of the school.
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 Hawai'i, or who live in Arizona or Hawai'i, there are special directions when it comes to Daylight Savings time as Arizona and Hawai'i do not participate in Daylight Savings practices. This means that for fellows matched with Arizona or Hawai'i but who are located in a different time zone, or for fellows who live in Arizona or Hawai'i 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.
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 an online sign up tool that gives an overview of available days, times, grades, subjects, and school communities. 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. Our Ignite Team encourages fellows at the same university to connect and build community.
The Fellowship is virtual and will take place with ~130 schools across 33 Teach For America communities for the 2024-25 school year. These communities include: Alabama, Austin, Bay Area, California Capital Valley, Connecticut, D.C. Region, Detroit, Greater Delta (Mississippi & Arkansas), Greater New Orleans, Greater Philadelphia, Hawai’i, Houston, Idaho, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Los Angeles, Memphis, Metro Atlanta, Nashville-Chattanooga, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma (Greater Tulsa & Oklahoma City), Permian Basin, Phoenix, Rhode Island, Rio Grande Valley, St. Louis, San Antonio, South Carolina, and South Louisiana. There are no opportunities to engage with kids in person. However, there are opportunities to engage with other fellows in person depending on your college campus.
You will use an online tech platform to connect with students virtually. During the training and onboarding, TFA staff and your school Ignite Site Leader will introduce you to the software. You will need a computer with a working speaker, microphone, and camera, as well as a strong and secure internet connection.
Fellows are not employees of TFA, but they do receive an award for their service up to $1200, pre-tax, as a lump sum at the end of their Fellowship term (Dec/Jan for fall fellows, May/June 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.
Most fellows will tutor only one student learning group, however there is sometimes an option to sign up for more than one tutoring placement. If this option is available to you, we will share the details during the sign up window just prior to the start of the Fellowship.
The commitment with students is entirely virtual and during K-12 school hours. Given our program is hyper-local, school schedules vary based on need and time zone.
Typically, fellows can expect to work virtually with students directly for about 2 hours a week, and complete any collaboration, prep, or independent work for about 2 hours a 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
Research on high-impact tutoring shows that tutor consistency is critical to students feeling safe and growing academically. In addition to impeding student impact, fellow absences cause logistical complications and require additional work forIgnite Site Leaders, other fellows, and staff at your assigned school. For these reasons, we take attendance very seriously and ask that you commit to a goal of 100% attendance during the Fellowship.
We expect fellows to schedule foreseeable obligations such as travel plans, doctor's visits, and meetings with professors, at times that do not conflict with their tutoring schedule. If an absence is truly unavoidable due to extenuating circumstances beyond your control (e.g., a significant illness or medical emergency, family emergency or bereavement, an exam that cannot be made-up at another time, etc.), we expect fellows to give their Ignite Site Leaders as much advance notice as possible.
If at any time before or during the semester you determine that you will need to miss multiple tutoring sessions for any reason (e.g., international travel with no access to wifi, planned medical procedure, etc.), please share this immediately with both Ignite (ignite@teachforamerica.org) and your Ignite Site Leader so we may consider your specific circumstances and determine whether you can continue in the Fellowship.
Please note: fellow financial awards are based on strong, consistent attendance. Repeated absence may result in a delay or reduction of your financial award, and can result in dismissal from the Fellowship.