Program overview
Join other exceptional aspiring educators for a challenging and rewarding eight-week summer program in New York City.
Hone your craft.
In June, you’ll take part in a fast-paced, intensive orientation, where you’ll learn the basics of classroom management, lesson planning, and pedagogy to set you up for success with your students. In July, you will teach each morning in our Ascend Summer School and, in the afternoon, receive detailed feedback and tailored professional development to strengthen your teaching craft.
Teach your passion.
In addition to teaching Ascend’s engaging English language arts and math curricula, you’ll engage your summer school students for one hour every day in a daily elective block, with activities of your own design in your choice of one of the following four areas: climate change, social justice, Maker, or social media and the internet.
Experience Brooklyn.
Not only will we provide you with an attractive summer stipend, we’ll provide housing at no cost at a nearby college.
Beyond the summer
Become a full-time Ascend teacher.
At summer’s end, you may be offered a full-time, permanent position as a classroom teacher at one of our 15 schools in Central Brooklyn, beginning the summer after you graduate.
Earn your certification or master's degree.
Upon college graduation and your return to Ascend as a permanent staff member, you will have the option of earning either a Teaching Certificate from the Charter Schools Institute of the State University of New York SUNY for SUNY-authorized schools by participating in Ascend’s Teacher Preparation Program, or a Master of Arts in Teaching at the highly regarded Relay Graduate School of Education, an institution founded by leading educators from high-performing charter networks and Teach for America.
Schedule and components
The Ascend Summer Fellowship is an eight-week summer program that allows you to experience teaching in an intellectually stimulating, collaborative environment at Ascend’s summer school.
Fellow responsibilities
Prepare
Observe exemplary teaching at various Ascend schools.
Build pedagogical skill through professional development sessions with staff.
Create lesson plans for your daily elective block.
Practice
Observe, assist, or co-teach the same group of students daily.
Teach full lessons independently by week three of the program.
Create lesson plans for your independent lessons and revise based on feedback from your mentor teacher.
Assist your mentor teacher facilitate classroom activities, tutor small groups, develop homework assignments, grade assessments, analyze student data, create plans for remediation, and take on non-classroom activities.
Assess
Engage in regular self-evaluation and receive daily feedback from your mentor teacher.
Gradually take on more teaching responsibilities.
Candidate criteria
Candidates must be college seniors, expected to graduate in December 2019 or spring 2020, or college juniors expected to graduate in December 2020 or spring 2021.
After submitting a resume, personal profile, and responses to short answer questions through our application portal, applicants participate in a multi-round interview process.
Application process
Each application round includes an online application, a phone or video interview, and an on-site group interview at Ascend.
The application for the 2020 Summer Fellowship has now opened. Click here to submit an application.
Frequently asked questions
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