The Scholastic Teacher Fellows application and selection process is organized into three phases to identify the most qualified and diverse group of candidates across the U.S. Though we receive many applications, we encourage all qualified teachers to apply.
Application and Selection Overview
Application Qualifications
Please apply if you meet these criteria:
You are a current classroom teacher or instructional coach who works closely with teachers and students in classrooms.
You teach elementary or middle school (Grades K–8).
You teach in a public, private, or charter school.
Do not apply if you are an administrator or work primarily outside of the classroom (e.g., tutoring).
Selection Process
Applicants respond to multiple choice and short essay questions about their professional experiences, including current placement, approach to teaching, understanding of student learning, and the innovative classroom practices they use. Responses are evaluated by a cross-disciplinary team at Scholastic along with the current Teacher Fellows Cohort using a weighted rubric:
Rubric Criteria
Commitment to Professional Learning 30%
Actively seeks out professional learning opportunities beyond mandated ones.
Shows how that learning was used to improve their practice.
Makes an argument for using the Scholastic Teacher Fellows program to expand professional learning growth.
Makes an argument for contributing to the program.
Collaboration and Teamwork 25%
Shows evidence of using team or group learning environments to support their practice.
Demonstrates a willingness to consider and learn from viewpoints or ideas different from their own.
Teaching Knowledge and Experience Base 20%
Possesses and pursues knowledge about literacy development/research and/or other instructional areas of focus.
Applies professional learning and classroom experience to solve problems of practice.
Creativity and Resourcefulness 15%
- Uses school, community, district, and social/other networks to find resources/answers to problems of practice.
Demonstrates an innovative or creative approach to designing learning tasks and projects to support student learning/growth.
Communication and Organization 10%
Organizes and presents ideas clearly in written responses.
Bulleted items are ranked on a scale of 1–5, where 1 is “not evident” and 5 is “highly demonstrates."
Twenty-five candidates with the top scores from Phase 1 are identified to achieve as diverse a group as possible by geography, school type, student population, grade level, and teaching experience.
Small-group interviews are conducted with the 25 finalists. The interview is based on a design-thinking task that involves teamwork to solve a current challenge in education. The following weighted rubric identifies 12 candidates who will best contribute to the collaborative work designed by Teacher Fellows.
Rubric Criteria
Enthusiasm for Professional Learning 30% (bulleted items ranked on a scale of 1–5)
Engages in project enthusiastically.
Demonstrates motivation to learn from the project and from colleagues.
Collaboration and Teamwork 25%
- Works collaboratively in a group, sharing ideas and eliciting feedback from others.
Listens actively to colleagues.
Considers and leverages different viewpoints or ideas to improve the team’s work.
Helps focus and facilitate the discussion.
Teaching Knowledge and Experience Base 20%
Brings knowledge of instruction, student learning, barriers to learning, and classroom experience to project understanding.
Creativity and Resourcefulness 15%
Introduces innovative ideas and suggests ways to tap networks to solve problem(s).
Communication and Organization 10%
- Organizes and presents ideas clearly and effectively to colleagues through dialogue and discussion.
Bulleted items are ranked on a scale of 1–5, where 1 is “not evident” and 5 is “highly demonstrates."
We value your experience and your interest in working with Scholastic! Applicants not selected for the 2024-2025 Scholastic Teacher Fellows Cohort will be automatically eligible for the Scholastic Innovation Lab teacher innovator corps.