Why should I join the Detroit Leads Fellowship?
Join a community of dedicated educators committed to continuing their growth as leaders in their school communities and the city of Detroit.
Learn through dialogue and collaboration centered on authentic and impactful leadership, culturally responsive pedagogy, and systems impact.
Deepen your understanding of yourself, others, and the context in which you lead through experiences in diversity, equity and inclusion training
Remain connected to the Teach for America community while continuing to build your network with fellow educators and advocates for educational equity throughout Detroit.
How long is the Detroit Leads Fellowship commitment?
Detroit Leads fellows must complete their two year commitment in their Detroit Leads fellowship placement school.
How often does the fellowship meet?
The fellowship cohort will meet as a whole group quarterly for professional development workshops and will meet in smaller communities of practice consisting of a subset of fellows in the months between workshops. Teach for America Detroit will work with school partners to ensure fellows are able to engage in quarterly workshops and excellent school visits, guaranteeing fellows will spend no more than six working days at a location other than their school site due to fellowship activities. Fellows will coordinate with their Detroit Leads mentor and members of their community of practice to schedule meeting dates and times throughout the year to discuss the application of learning from quarterly workshops within the context of their schools.
How does the job placement process work for fellows?
Fellows already teaching in Detroit will have the option of staying in their current schools or moving to one of our partner schools. Fellows moving into Detroit will be supported in the hiring process and matched with one of our partner schools
What type of job can I have as a Detroit Leads fellow?
Detroit leads fellows have positions that range from classroom teaching positions to administrative positions at school and district levels. As long as fellows are positioned with a school or school district in Detroit then fellows will still be eligible to participate in the Detroit Leads fellowship.
Do I have to be a Teach For America Alumni to apply to the Detroit Leads fellowship?
No you do not. The Detroit Leads fellowship is open to all educators who have 5+ years of experience, are aspiring to become or currently are school leaders, and hold a Michigan teaching or administrative certificate.
Do I have to have my Michigan administrative certification to be eligible to apply for the Detroit Leads fellowship?
No you do not have to have your administrative certification. If you are extended an offer to one of our fellowships and accept, you do have to have a Michigan teaching certificate. Michigan law states that as long as an administrator has plans to begin their administrative certification process within six months of starting their administrative role and complete it within 3 years from the start date, then they are eligible to serve in that role.
Who are your partners? Where will fellows teach?
We currently partner with a number of DPSCD public schools and not for profit public charter schools in Detroit including Detroit Achievement Academy, Detroit Prep, Brenda Scott Academy, Thirkell Elementary, Denby High School, Western High School, Escuela Avancemos, Detroit Academy of Arts and Sciences, Jalen Rose Leadership Academy, and more. Teach for America Detroit’s fellowship team will support fellows in connecting to opportunities at our partner schools and districts.
If I don’t hold a Michigan teaching or administrative certification am I still able to apply to any of the fellowships?
Yes, you can still apply! You must hold a current teaching certificate in your current state (i.e. if you live in Florida and are interested in transitioning to Detroit, then in order to apply you must at least carry a Florida state teaching certificate). If admitted into one of our fellowships, you will need to eventually carry a Michigan teaching certificate. We do have an out-of-state certification transfer process that can be accessed here and you can also access the Michigan Online Educator Certification System that can provide additional details as well. We do cover all costs to transfer your certification from your current state to Michigan. Directions on how we cover those costs are listed in the out-of-state transfer one-pager as well.