What is teachNOLA?
teachNOLA Overview
Public Education in New Orleans
Teaching in a New Orleans Public School
The Recovery School District
New Schools for New Orleans
Who We Want
Subjects Fellows Teach
Living in New Orleans
In the Press
Why Join?
The Benefits of Being a Fellow
Your Job as a Teacher
Louisiana Teacher Certification
Training and Resources
Teacher Salary and Benefits
Teacher Talk
How do I Apply?
Program Eligibility
Testing Requirements
Application Process
Application Deadlines
Information Sessions
Interview Events
Apply Now
The Benefits of Being a Fellow
Make a Difference
We want individuals looking for socially meaningful work, people who understand a teacher’s strengths and skills can change numerous lives.
We want teachers who will go beyond their perceived limits each day to influence children and affect students’ choices for a lifetime.
As an alternate route to teaching for those who do not already have a license to teach, teachNOLA recruits, selects, and trains talented and successful individuals to shape the future of public education in New Orleans and, quite possibly, the nation.
teachNOLA’s 2008 Fellows will teach all subjects and grades, including critical shortage areas in the New Orleans' most challenged schools. Many Fellows will teach math, science, special education, and foreign language. Although new to teaching, these accomplished individuals will be dedicated to ensuring high academic achievement for all their students.
Build a Career
Through teachNOLA, teaching in New Orleans offers the opportunity to jump-start a powerful and meaningful career as a public school teacher. Fellows will make a difference in the lives of New Orleans students while building professional skills, earning a teaching credential, and connecting with driven, like-minded individuals. Successful candidates will share a passion for rebuilding one of America’s great cities as well as a sense of urgency to address one of the country’s most pressing issues. This energy will also drive a daily commitment to ensuring that students most in need achieve rigorous academic goals.
Fellows earn the same full-time salary and benefits as other beginning teachers in the city. For the 2007-2008 school year, starting salaries in the Recovery School District ranged from $36,900 to $39,700, and $35,000 to $45,000 in most charter schools, depending on previous educational attainment. The RSD’s pay scale is based on the highest salaries across Louisiana.
Click here to view the RSD’s full salary schedule.
RSD teachers are covered under Louisiana’s Group Benefits Program. For more information about available medical coverage, click here.
Due to the semi-autonomous nature of charter schools, pay and benefits will vary from school to school. We encourage Fellows to inquire about details on salary and benefits when interviewing with individual schools.
All Fellows will pursue their certification while teaching full-time. Most first year Fellows will be eligible* for the added benefit of an AmeriCorps Education Award worth $4,725 that will help defer the cost of certification coursework. (*Note that additional eligibility criteria must be met to receive this award.)
You Are Needed
This is a critical time in the history of New Orleans and its schools. As New Orleans lays the groundwork for a world-class system of schools, the skills, background, and innovation of driven, outstanding new teachers are essential. We want strong, determined minds to make a commitment to success. Teachers are the heart of a school and school system; they bring promise and opportunity to the children who fill our classrooms and who depend on a teacher’s daily guidance and continued vigilance.
The public schools aim to “rebuild New Orleans through education” and have set ambitious academic growth targets for its schools. To fulfill this mission, schools need teachers who will hold their students to the highest of standards and work relentlessly to see them achieve.
Residents and national observers often point to the reformation of public education in New Orleans as one of the bright spots in a generally stunted rebuilding process.
But the distance schools must travel is great. Prior to Katrina, nearly six out of ten fourth graders failed to achieve the basic level of mastery in math required for grade promotion. The failure rate was nearly as high in English.2 As families grapple with displacement, schools must also contend with regularly fluctuating enrollments and with students living apart from loved ones. We are calling on our brightest and most driven individuals to join our movement to dramatically improve student outcomes and build a new, and better, New Orleans.
Become part of this pivotal moment in our city and nation’s history. Apply now.
For more information about the Recovery School District’s vision for a new system of education, click here.