November 18, 2008
The Master of Arts in Teaching progam at Brown University prepares future educators to understand fundamental principles of teaching and learning and to employ that understanding to work effectively with all children, youth, families and communities. The program is dedicated to the idea that teaching is creative and intellectually serious work. Intentionally small in size, the program seeks to ensure that future teachers learn best practices in curriculum design and instruction, and to develop personal characteristics that enable them to work collaboratively with others. Student teachers are encouraged to seek constructive feedback, take risks, engage with colleagues in exploring sensitive issues of race, class, linguistic diversity, sexual orientation and gender, and to explore opportunities for personal and professional growth. Our commitment to contributing to the creation of a truly democratic, multiracial, multicultural society begins with the program’s work in the community and the schools and is best seen through the ability of graduates to reflect critically on their work and the world.
Brown offers M.A.T. programs in elementary education, secondary English, secondary history/social studies, and secondary biology.
Applications for admission to the class of 2010 are due by January 2, 2009. (Not in February)
For further information about the program and the application process, please contact Karl Dominey at: Karl_Dominey@brown.edu, 401-863-2407
No Comments » | 
Careers, Grad School | 
Permalink
Posted by Bobby Cupp
September 15, 2008
Long-time TeachBreakthroughs readers will remember our previous posts about this great program from teaching alum Erin Tsukamoto (Miami ‘06, Cambridge ‘07). Â MATCH Corps is back for another year, and here’s a message from Erin:
Bobby-
I sent this last year around this time to inform the Breakthrough Community. I taught Miami ‘06 and Cambridge ‘07 and spent last year working at the MATCH High School. We just opened a new middle school this fall (where I currently work with several other Breakthrough alums) and have started a new teacher training program as well.
-Erin
The MATCH Corps is an urban education service year program at the MATCH High and Middle Schools, both open-admission Charter Public Schools in Boston, MA. The MATCH mission is to close the academic achievement gap that our almost entirely minority student body faces, and prepare each of the urban youths at our school to succeed in college. Corps members work 1-on-1 with 5 MATCH students every day, tutoring them in their classroom subjects and on SAT, AP, and MCAS tests. The Corps, who live in dorm housing in the High School and in apartments near the Middle School, also have secondary duties as teaching assistants and administrative assistants, as well as running clubs, coaching sports, and powering extracurricular activities.
MATCH has received much recognition since it opened its doors in the fall of 2000 for its rigorous, innovative approach to urban education. In 2007, MATCH was named by US News & World Report at one of the nation’s top-100 High Schools, and in 2008 was similarly recognized by Newsweek as one of the top-25 High Schools in the country.
Corps members have the option to take part in the MATCH Teacher Training Program during their Corps year, a program designed to produce unusually effective and confident first-year teachers. Corps members go on to teaching or administrative positions (often staying on at MATCH), as well as a variety of grad schools (law, medicine, education, etc.) and to positions as public policy leaders and social advocates.
To apply to the MATCH Corps, complete the questionairre and submit your resume and cover letter via the website at: http://apply.matchschool.org/apply.php
No Comments » | 
Careers, Grad School, Teacher Updates | 
Permalink
Posted by Bobby Cupp
September 15, 2008
Dear Breakthrough Collaborative alumni,
I fell in love with my first class as a Breakthrough teacher in Miami. Meeting great kids like Kwan and Bryan changed my worldview in two distinct ways. First, the atrocity of the achievement gap was made so much more real to me when looking at students in lieu of statistics. Secondly, my passion for working to close this gap was intensified by the enormous success we achieved in that short summer.
My name is Matthew Schultheis, and my experience in Miami inspired me to seek an organization every bit as dedicated to our children as Breakthrough. I’ve found that organization in Teach For America. The skills and creativity you gained through your experience with Breakthrough will be a tremendous asset to your students next fall. I strongly urge you continue acting on your commitment to this nation’s children. Join Teach For America in the movement to end educational inequality. The first application deadline is 9/19. Apply now.
Click Here To Apply
With great hope for the future,
Matthew Schultheis
No Comments » | 
Careers, Grad School | 
Permalink
Posted by Bobby Cupp
July 16, 2008
Meet Ieesha McKinzie.   She’s been a teacher with TFA and with Breakthrough Atlanta. As our new Development and Communications Associate, she’ll be making appearances on TeachBreakthroughs, sharing exciting opportunities for all of you. Keep an eye on the top of the blog, as we’ll soon be adding an “Opportunities” page to TeachBreakthroughs, a collection of jobs, scholarships, fellowships, and other fun things to help you get where you’re going. *Alums who receive the regular e-mails from our Yahoo Group will soon be routed to this page.*
On top of her role as an arbiter of career and educational information on the blog, she also brings a healthy range of experiences with her, and I’m sure she can be a resource for you in the future. Her bio is after the jump.
Read the rest of this entry »
No Comments » | Breakthrough-Specific, Careers, Grad School | Permalink
Posted by Bobby Cupp
July 10, 2008
The Boston Teacher Residency (BTR) program, a school-based urban teacher preparation program, was named one of 15 finalists for Harvard’s Kennedy School’s Innovations in American Government award.
BTR exemplifies a promising model of teacher education run by districts, where teachers receive extensive pratical training along with rigorous coursework and the training is closely aligned with district needs. After a full-time 13 month program, graduates receive a Massachusett’s initial teacher license and a master’s degree in education from U Mass/Boston. Tuition for the program is forgiven if graduates teach in Boston public schools for three years.
No Comments » | Grad School | Tagged: Add new tag | Permalink
Posted by Elisabeth Cutler
May 20, 2008
Teach For America is definitely having a moment in the media sun this week.
First they announced their recruiting numbers for this year: a remarkable 37% increase over last year, up to 24,700 applications submitted. This comes as TFA was able to add 800 new positions at schools around the US, now placing 3,700 new teachers at low-performing schools. This is a huge endorsement for the organization, one that has faced it’s share of criticism over the years. We don’t have solid numbers yet, but a good chunk of this year’s admitted Corps Members reported experience teaching with Breakthrough. That’s nice.
Meanwhile, there is a new book out about the TFA story and its recent resurgence, Relentless Pursuit by Donna Foote. I confess that I haven’t read it, but Slate’s Sara Mosle, an apparently-semi-disgruntled former Corps Member herself, provides a great writeup. The crux of the book is that TFA hit a rough patch, one that it overcame through increased focus on training, support, and an investment in the strengths of its Corps Members. Mosle makes the argument that TFA may be a good example of how to look at the education system in general, particularly as NCLB is being reauthorized.
I like that Mosle is looking at teacher quality and support as the key to improving performance, and I like that TFA is producing numbers to back up their efforts. Surprising fact of the day, from Mosle’s article:
For example, by analyzing corps members’ personality traits, TFA discovered that those with an “internal versus external locus-of-control orientation” are less likely to drop out of teaching early and are generally more successful in the classroom. To translate into plain English, such a teacher typically takes “full personal responsibility for student achievement, refusing to blame outside factors, such as truancy or lack of parental support, for underperformance.”
Here at Breakthrough, we exist on this premise. Our kids are facing challenges, but there is zero reason why they can’t excel at the levels of their wealthier/better prepared peers. Our students have a lot of reasons to give up, but they don’t. And Breakthrough won’t let them. To totally bite from Uncommon Schools, you need to teach them until they learn.
TFA is an informal recruiting partner of Breakthrough’s and you will likely meet with a Corps Member at a staff meeting this summer. Breakthrough appreciates TFAs efforts to close the achievement gap, but we do not have a stance on the sometimes-contentious issues surrounding the organization. It suffices to say that TFA will be a GREAT option for some of you, while others will want to pursue certification and training through a longer, more traditional process.
No Comments » | Careers, Grad School, Issues | Permalink
Posted by Bobby Cupp
May 12, 2008
Daniel Meier, a teacher educator at San Francisco State University has an op-ed in todays SF Chronicle. He makes an argument for why it’s so hard to find folks to do this important work, and he presents some reasons to hope.
The roadblocks for future teachers:
- Low respect for the career (def. something we address at Breakthrough)
- It’s too much of a hassle to become a teacher (I quibble with that one, since making it easier to teach would stand in the way of achieving #1. True, some of the requirements he lists are silly, but it’s not the extra effort and expense that’s the problem. No one argues that it’s too difficult to become a doctor or lawyer.)
- “rigid, teacher-proof curriculum” (I like that - “teacher-proof” - and a good point. Why work hard if you’re teaching someone else’s script?)
- The school system seems like an awfully unreliable employer (All those pink slips will do that.)
Interesting perspective….
No Comments » | Careers, Grad School, Issues | Permalink
Posted by Bobby Cupp
April 11, 2008
Updated info from NJ SEEDS re: the other post from last week.
Please find a revised New Jersey SEEDS Teacher Training Institute announcement. It is noteworthy that the Institute is a five week residential program with room and board included. Out of state applicants should certainly apply!
The updated announcement is also up on the New Jersey SEEDS website: http://www.njseeds.org/?section=alumni&fuse=instituteopportunities.
No Comments » | Careers, Grad School | Permalink
Posted by Bobby Cupp
April 4, 2008
We spend a good amount of time here talking about what can make you all great teachers when you get into your careers, and, admittedly, this is a fuzzy area. Something we’re starting to learn, however, is that one marker of a strong training program is the balance of time-with-kids to time-in-a-lecture-hall. The closer you get to 50/50, the better the record of that program. That’s why we’re excited about this opportunity.
New Jersey SEEDS is a program for high-potential/high-need middle- and high school students (imagine that!). The model is actually pretty similar to ours, as far as the student program goes, and they have a good rep. NJ SEEDS is getting into the teacher training game now (imagine that!), and they have teamed up with their host site, The Lawrenceville School, for the NJ SEEDS Teacher Training Fellowship at Lawrenceville. This is a 3 summer fellowship that gives you a chance to learn alongside the great teachers that staff NJ SEED, along with evening and weekend work during the school year. This program is brand new, and open to college Sophomores only.
Sadly, this program would take you away from Breakthrough for your last 3 summers of eligibility, but I know you’ll be back, as a Leadership Fellow, Mentor Teacher, or Director.
The announcement.
No Comments » | Careers, Grad School | Permalink
Posted by Bobby Cupp
March 12, 2008
I got a note from Sonal Singhal (Santa Fe ‘04, ‘06):
Hi Bobby,
I was surfing the web and I came across the TeachBreakthrough blog. It is a great site, and I like that BT energy is being shared and spread virtually!
I noticed that you include a lot of other service opportunities on the site, and I was wondering if you could share one more. It is a program called Indicorps (Service for the Soul, www.indicorps.org), and they offer one-year service fellowships in India for young people of Indian origin. My inspiration to serve with Indicorps actually came from Breakthrough; Breakthrough taught me how powerful community can be, and I wanted to continue exploring that lesson. I spent last year in Gujarat, India, working with my community to improve rural schools. It was a great experience for me personally and professionally.  Plus, I got to teach an entire new continent of children ‘Attitude Check’!
This year Indicorps is offering 50 different projects for its August 08-July 09 cycle. Many of them are education-driven, from organizing teacher trainings to creating puppetry curricula. I think many of the people in the Breakthrough community might be interested–would you mind passing it on?
Again, I love the site and I look forward to seeing what you post next!
Warmly,
Sonal Singhal
BT Santa Fe (’04 and ‘06)
No Comments » | Careers, Grad School | Permalink
Posted by Bobby Cupp
