Abstract

AmeriCorps teaching fellows serve through individual program initiatives at various educational institutions. Running these programs effectively requires appreciable marketing and recruitment efforts, capable leadership and supervision, as well as ongoing evaluation. A Peer Exchange was held in the summer of 2002 for program directors to share ideas on administering teaching fellows programs. Hosted by the University of San Francisco TEAMS/AmeriCorps program, facilitated by the Catholic Network of Volunteer Service (CNVS) and sponsored by the Corporation for National and Community Service for Teaching Fellows Programs, the conference was a forum for program directors to share techniques that work at their sites. Alan Ranzer of the Catholic Network of Volunteer Service submitted this effective practice in July 2002.

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Issue

AmeriCorps teaching fellows serve through individual program initiatives at various educational institutions. Running these teaching fellows program efficiently and effectively can be challenging for program directors.

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Action

Program directors from the following Teaching Fellows Programs attended the Peer Exchange in 2002 and shared ideas on administering teaching fellows programs:

Far Bound-The Teaching Apprenticeship NY NYC Teaching Fellows Program, NY Teachers College, Columbia University, NY University of Dayton, OH — Lalanne Mt. Mary College, WI — UEFP Univ. of Notre Dame, IN — ACE Program Univ. of San Francisco, CA —TEAMS/ AmeriCorps Program

Effective practices in the areas of marketing and recruitment, leadership and supervision, and evaluation follow.

MARKETING AND RECRUITMENT

A. Marketing

Sell the program with attractive reasons to join. These include service through teaching, opportunity, networking, stipend, education award, certification, combined credentials/masters, ability to teach a subject of interest, engaging curriculum, ongoing training and support, great homes/schools/cities, subsidized housing, meeting the needs of both children and schools, meeting others of similar interests/backgrounds, small classes, good professors, strong community, alumni and other support, empowerment, and a sense of accomplishment.

Challenges

Securing placements can be expensive and time-consuming.Finding a niche to market can be a formidable task.

Solutions

• Use mass media, such as newspapers, fliers, and advertisements on subways
• Develop a relationship with the media be creative and offer free stories and editorials
• Have and use press releases regularly to highlight success stories, events and other noteworthy news
• Market your success stories/ superstars
• Take photos of members at work, especially in the community and use for media and posters, as well as other advertising needs
• Develop creative slogans and logos
• Identify and use champions or ambassadors to your cause
• Tailor marketing to highlight what individuals want
• Air Public Service announcements on radio stations
• Use data/statistics — utilize the Web Based Reporting System (WBRS) which gathers, reports and makes use of information, financial and progress data reported to the Corporation for National and Community Service
• Develop a promotional video
• Create a link with AmeriCorps identity and website
• Explore the possibility of automatic Graduate School admittance for applicants accepted to the program
• Promote the program through financial aid/ advising offices
• Be a great program!

B. Recruitment

Desirable skills of a potential Teaching Fellow include an overall commitment to community and youth, previous experience with youth, and bilingualism. The potential Teaching Fellow should enjoy challenges, have demonstrated a progression of and/or high academic achievement level, be someone from the community who can focus on/prioritize the needs of the school, may be a woman or a member of an ethnic minority, or a person with a disability.

Challenges

Recognize that applicants come from a variety of different backgrounds, with various skill levels and life experience.

Solutions

• Build relationships with professors and educationally focused organizations
• Enroll alumni, champions, community based organizations, peers, and others to help with recruitment and selection
• Ask current fellows for names/ suggestions
• Consider company outplacement offices
• Use Internet job banks
• Utilize alumni networks
• Target applicants with direct mailings
• Target recent college graduates
• Look beyond Grade Point Average when recruiting members: i.e. progression of efforts and accomplishments
• Link potential members with current members
• Suggest that potential applicants shadow a teacher to see if the program is a good fit
• Emphasize high need areas in terms of placement

LEADERSHIP AND SUPERVISION

A. Communication Challenges

• Getting members to read emails and regular mail, and to respond to communication
• Updating email and other contact information
• Ensuring consistency of messages

Solutions

• Require an RSVP to emails
• Provide incentives or prizes such as AmeriCorps hats or shorts or other logo materials
• Form clusters with a leader
• Hold town hall meetings once a month
• Post messages to listservs
• Create/maintain a Fellows advisory board

B. Mentoring Questions to consider

• Who influences your members — peers, teachers, mentors, aides, secretaries, professors, principals, program staff, students, youth?
• Does curriculum have any influence?
• How do you effectively communicate with members?
• How do you invest in your members personally and professionally?

Challenges

• Time constraints
• Unique personal needs of individuals
• Inconsistencies in resources available at schools
• Diversity in skills and professional needs
• Time management/organizational skills
• Transition to teaching and/or working for members
• Personal recognition

Solutions

• Share/pool resources between schools and institutions
• Collaborate between Teacher-Fellows programs
• Utilize peer exchanges between schools and between Fellows themselves
• Learn the culture of the school, Fellows and Directors
• Call on administrators to help meet the needs of teachers in professional development
• Hold mixers/socials for Fellows, alumni, and partners
• Conduct workshops that reflect diverse needs
• Utilize coaches and retired teachers as mentors or use Senior Corps members when appropriate
• Make certain members fulfill the service-learning requirement when appropriate
• Prepare a Fellows Appreciation ceremony

C. Administrative

• Use a checklist
• Use a time log
• Utilize Fellows and coach handbooks
• Talk with members weekly
• Create incentives
• Be explicit in expectations , for example regarding dates when something is due
• Try to make the paperwork process fun
• Ask for members' hours every week
• Explain what activities are allowed to count as service hours and what are not
• Demonstrate how to itemize hours using sample paperwork
• Use an Excel spreadsheet that keeps track of hours so that members can view their cumulative hours
• At the end of term interview, require completed paperwork in advance
• Access AmeriCorps representatives in the community to aid in processing and collecting

D. General Support

• Establish a presence with listservs and email
• Create a National Service Identity
• Establish a relationship with the Board of Education
• Utilize support groups

E. Monitoring and Evaluation

Questions to consider:

• What are your objectives/program goals?
• What impact does the program/Fellows have on students?
• How is impact tracked? What is tracked? What tools are used?
• How is data used? (For recruitment, program improvement, fundraising, other)

WORKING WITH SCHOOLS AND DISTRICTS

Challenges

• Getting buy-in
• Inability to affect public policy
• Getting placements too late, applications with no names, or lack of information
• Teacher distractions
• Leadership styles at school
• Budget ambiguities or lacking sufficient money for staffing
• Poor communication from districts regarding vacancies
• Balancing program goals with goals of the school and the district
• Turnover in personnel makes it difficult to build lasting relationships

Solutions

• Garner buy-in
• Sell your program by communicating a good track record
• Create relationships between teachers and principals
• Let your members generate ideas
• Plan roundtable discussions with several players, emphasizing that this is a time to give input and shape results: clarify what to expect, roles, and how program staff can help
• Seek a balance when asking for the involvement and efforts of principals — remember they are usually quite busy
• Join monthly superintendents/principals meetings (get on the agenda so that you can sell your program)
• Network: people who buy into your program can inform others
• Serve as a guest speaker
• Compile quotes for newsletters and to feature in reports and other publications
• Develop materials about retention rates for teachers and what other fellows have achieved
• Invite districts to job fairs
• Sponsor morning coffee breaks at school
• Create a link with local public policy forums
• Identify local advocacy organizations and use program data
• Utilize the Council of Great City Schools, a coalition of nearly 60 of the nation's largest urban public school systems, located in Washington D.C. The council works to promote urban education through legislation, research, media relations, instruction, management and technology, and provides ways to share promising practices and address common concerns. Their website is at http://www.cgcs.org
• Stress the fact that you can meet district needs when dealing with districts

EVALUATION

• Use WBRS (the Web Based Reporting System provided by the Corporation for National and Community Service)
• Collect and aggregate data to enhance accountability
• Survey Principals
• Use online surveys. Survey Monkey is an online resource that allows users to create professional online surveys. The website is at: http://www.surveymonkey.com
• Provide success stories online
• Emphasize accountability when relating teachers' stories

Purposes of data

• Determine if teacher training is effective
• Inform programming
• Determine selection process and criteria
• See if school needs are met, raised
• Provide feedback to university regarding curriculum
• Promote advocacy
• Provide a means of accountability to stakeholders, the Corporation for National and Community Service, donors, professors and university faculty, AmeriCorps members and students

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Context

Teaching Fellows Programs involve people from all walks of life. Almost none of the participants have prior teaching experience before joining the Fellowship. Usually fellows pass through a rigorous selection process and are trained in an intensive pre-service program. They get in-class teaching experience while studying for their Masters degree in education. Besides a normal teacher's salary and benefits, they receive AmeriCorps program benefits, including up to $4,725 a year (for up to two years) to devote to their higher education costs.

The Catholic Network of Volunteer Service (CNVS), a non-profit organization established in 1963, seeks to build a bridge between people thinking about volunteering and member programs (over 230) that offer volunteer opportunities. The CNVS Training and Technical Assistance program provides marketing, training, networking and other program management assistance trainings to help AmeriCorps Education Awards Programs accomplish their goals.

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Outcome

• Increased academic achievement
• Increased school connections and student engagement in their education
• Diversity of teachers and role models
• Retention and consistency of teachers , decreased turn-over
• Increased number of teachers
• Continuity of curriculum for students
• Improved student-teacher ratio
• Teachers that stay in the community
• Increased extracurricular activities at school
• Connection between community and curriculum through service-learning
• People engaged in service

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Source Documents

Related Practices

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Related sites

Catholic Network of Volunteer Service

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