Program to bring new teachers to St. Paul Public Schools

The St. Paul Public Schools (SPPS) are looking for successful, diverse individuals from a variety of professional and academic backgrounds to make a difference in the classroom. To meet this goal, SPPS has created a new program called St. Paul Teaching Fellows.

Applicants to the teaching fellows program are asked to state their subject of choice. Placement is made, however, not only on personal preference, but also on need and eligibility. A bachelor’s degree is a prerequisite to apply to this program, but no previous education coursework or experience is required. To learn more or to apply, please visit info@saintpaulteachingfellows.org, or call (651) 767-8198. The priority application deadline is January 22.

Under the teaching fellows program, SPPS will hire and train thirty to fifty new teachers each year for the next five years to teach in areas of shortage: math, science, special education and bilingual elementary education in Hmong and Spanish.

"St. Paul Teaching Fellows is an exciting new program with an innovative approach to raising academic achievement and closing the achievement gap,” said Norah Barrett, a site manager with SPPS. The program will select outstanding candidates who demonstrate a desire and drive to achieve results in some of St. Paul's public schools most in need of help.

“The individuals selected will get to make a huge impact on the lives of SPPS students," added Barrett. "Teaching fellows will truly have an influence on the direction of St. Paul." Teaching fellows will benefit from a six-week training program that will prepare them to meet students' needs.

Barrett indicated that the teaching fellows will also benefit from working with highly successful cohorts of their peers, as well as with experienced teachers who will not only be resources but also mentors. Teaching fellows will work towards their Minnesota Full Professional Education License while teaching full-time—for which they will be paid. An added incentive for teaching fellows is that most will qualify for an Americorps grant to be applied towards existing student loans or licensure processing.

The SPPS student population is very diverse—ethnically, culturally, and in the languages the students speak at home. As of 2007, forty-one thousand students were enrolled in SPPS in grades K-12. Of that number, 30 percent were African-Americans, 29 percent Asians, 26 percent Caucasians, 13 percent Latinos, and 2 percent Native Americans.

Close to half of SPPS students are English as a Second Language (ESL) students, the majority of whom are Hispanic and Hmong. In total, SPPS students speak 113 languages and dialects. In addition, there is also a sizable new immigrant student population.

The biggest challenge the St. Paul Public Schools face is the achievement gap between students of color and Caucasian students. SPPS reports that reading scores for 2/3 of the district’s African American students fall below the national average, while reading scores for 90 percent of their white counterparts surpass it. Superintendent Maria Carstarphen acknowledges that the achievement gap must be closed.

Jennifer Holder (jyholder@msn.com) contributes regularly to the TC Daily Planet and the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.