Master Teacher Fellowship in Computer Science
Sign-up for email reminders regarding our next cohort on the Contact Us page.
IMPORTANT DATES (from the 2020 cohort)
The MƒA Los Angeles Computer Science Fellowship is a five-year fellowship that seeks to address the problem of unequal access to quality mathematics and computer science (CS) education, which is a major barrier to broader participation in STEM. One reason for this inequity is a shortage of highly-effective mathematics and CS teachers in secondary schools.
Applicants must identify some critical need in their school and propose efforts to bring about improvements; student learning outcomes must be a central part of these proposed projects. Master Teachers will work in pairs (or possibly teams of three or more) so that they will have a greater chance of bringing about real, sustained change in their departments.
ELIGIBILITY
To be eligible for the fellowship, candidates must meet the following criteria:
BENEFITS
Fellows in good standing will receive:
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
The design of MƒA Los Angeles' PD synthesizes the best available research on how to retain our most talented teachers, help them develop leadership skills, and improve student outcomes. It is also grounded in strong theoretical frames on teacher leadership and professional development.
Monthly, mandatory, all-day professional development (PD) meetings are held on the first or second Saturday of the month (no PD in January, July, and August (fellows attend conferences in April and November). These meetings are designed to build on all areas of teachers' pedagogical content knowledge in math and CS.
Every PD begins with a session focused on content knowledge led by one or more faculty members of Harvey Mudd College. Every meeting also includes a session relating to some aspect of math or computing instruction (i.e., social justice and education through STEM). Additionally, all fellows have time during each Saturday PD to meet in a working group. These working groups are intra-school professional learning communities focused on specific courses and are facilitated by experienced teachers and MƒA Los Angeles leadership.
Additionally, fellows will attend a one-week summer institute every year (exact dates to be determined). This will be designed to help deepen teachers' CS content and curricular knowledge. The topic and design of the summer institute will be based on the needs of fellows and their improvement plans. The work during the summer session will continue throughout the academic year.
Fellows will receive financial support to attend regional/national conferences organized by the Computer Science Teachers Association, National Council for Teachers of Mathematics, California Mathematics Council, and other similar entities.
MƒA Los Angeles will assist math fellows to become certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), if they have not already been certified. The process of attaining National Board Certification requires teachers to grow substantially in their teaching practice; research has shown that National Board Certification has a positive impact on student achievement and teacher retention. Also, many districts in the Los Angeles area offer salary increments to National Board certified teachers.
IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
You and at least one colleague at your school must work together to propose a project that you jointly design and orchestrate to bring about improved student outcomes at your school. This proposed project will be the centerpiece of your work as a MƒA Los Angeles Fellow for five years, so please think carefully about what you want to accomplish. The improvement project could involve becoming trained to teach CS together or developing lessons that deeply integrate math and computing. Harvey Mudd College math and CS faculty will help to guide your team's implementation of the project. MƒA Los Angeles will work with your school to buy-out one of your periods to enable the accomplishment of meaningful work. MƒA Los Angeles program staff will have a discussion with your team about whether team-teaching or a collaborative period would be of most benefit to achieving the goals of your team's improvement project.
Each team of applicants must submit a description of a proposed project that addresses the following questions:
APPLICATION PACKAGE
To apply, submit the following items :
The application packet contains forms and further instructions.
After downloading the application package and saving it to your computer: open it using Adobe Reader; complete it; save it; and then email it as an attachment to mt-apply@mfala.org [Mac users: do NOT use Preview]
Sign-up for email reminders regarding application deadlines on our Contact Us page.
The MƒA Los Angeles Computer Science Fellowship is made possible, in part, by a grant from the National Science Foundation through DUE #1758455 ("Math for America Los Angeles: Elevating Mathematics and Computer Science Instruction through Teacher Leadership").
IMPORTANT DATES (from the 2020 cohort)
- February 10, 2020 at 11:59PM: application materials due
- Interviews: we will call you to set-up an interview
- March 14, 2020: Take the Praxis exam on or before this date
- April 20, 2020: decision letters sent via email no later than this date
- September 12, 2020: first all-day PD for candidates admitted into the program
The MƒA Los Angeles Computer Science Fellowship is a five-year fellowship that seeks to address the problem of unequal access to quality mathematics and computer science (CS) education, which is a major barrier to broader participation in STEM. One reason for this inequity is a shortage of highly-effective mathematics and CS teachers in secondary schools.
Applicants must identify some critical need in their school and propose efforts to bring about improvements; student learning outcomes must be a central part of these proposed projects. Master Teachers will work in pairs (or possibly teams of three or more) so that they will have a greater chance of bringing about real, sustained change in their departments.
ELIGIBILITY
To be eligible for the fellowship, candidates must meet the following criteria:
- Have at least four years of full-time teaching experience.
- Teach math and/or CS at the secondary level (grades 6-12) in a high-need public/charter school in the greater Los Angeles area at the time their fellowship begins.
- All candidates must hold a master's degree in either computer science, other STEM field, or education.
- Candidates who do not teach CS must hold a bachelor's degree in a STEM field.
- Hold a valid, clear California teaching credential.
- Apply with at least one other teacher at their school site. At least one member of the team must teach computer science. Any member of the team that does not currently teach computer science must have an interest in doing so in the future. Preference for admission to the fellowship will be given to teams comprised entirely of computer science teachers.
- The team must identify some critical need involving math and/or CS in their school and develop a plan to address that need (see "improvement project" below).
- Teach math or CS for their entire school schedule (with the exception of their conference period and the MƒA Los Angeles common planning period, if applicable).
- Commit to teaching math/CS at the same school in a high-need district over the course of the five-year fellowship. (Note: LAUSD is a high-need district)
- Commit to participating in MƒA Los Angeles' professional development program.
- Demonstrate high content knowledge, a love of mathematics and/or CS, and exemplary teaching and leadership skills.
- Enjoy mentoring and collaborating with colleagues.
- Cannot be enrolled in any academic or other program that may conflict with fulfilling the requirements of the MƒA Los Angeles Computer Science Fellowship.
- Be either a U.S. citizen or national or a permanent resident alien.
BENEFITS
Fellows in good standing will receive:
- $10,000 annual salary supplement.
- Financial support for travel to conferences.
- Financial support for software and/or supplies.
- MƒA Los Angeles will work with the fellows' school administration to buy-out one of their periods.
- Fellows will be provided with training and support to become certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (if they are not already).
- Fellows will participate in a high-quality professional development program.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
The design of MƒA Los Angeles' PD synthesizes the best available research on how to retain our most talented teachers, help them develop leadership skills, and improve student outcomes. It is also grounded in strong theoretical frames on teacher leadership and professional development.
Monthly, mandatory, all-day professional development (PD) meetings are held on the first or second Saturday of the month (no PD in January, July, and August (fellows attend conferences in April and November). These meetings are designed to build on all areas of teachers' pedagogical content knowledge in math and CS.
Every PD begins with a session focused on content knowledge led by one or more faculty members of Harvey Mudd College. Every meeting also includes a session relating to some aspect of math or computing instruction (i.e., social justice and education through STEM). Additionally, all fellows have time during each Saturday PD to meet in a working group. These working groups are intra-school professional learning communities focused on specific courses and are facilitated by experienced teachers and MƒA Los Angeles leadership.
Additionally, fellows will attend a one-week summer institute every year (exact dates to be determined). This will be designed to help deepen teachers' CS content and curricular knowledge. The topic and design of the summer institute will be based on the needs of fellows and their improvement plans. The work during the summer session will continue throughout the academic year.
Fellows will receive financial support to attend regional/national conferences organized by the Computer Science Teachers Association, National Council for Teachers of Mathematics, California Mathematics Council, and other similar entities.
MƒA Los Angeles will assist math fellows to become certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), if they have not already been certified. The process of attaining National Board Certification requires teachers to grow substantially in their teaching practice; research has shown that National Board Certification has a positive impact on student achievement and teacher retention. Also, many districts in the Los Angeles area offer salary increments to National Board certified teachers.
IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
You and at least one colleague at your school must work together to propose a project that you jointly design and orchestrate to bring about improved student outcomes at your school. This proposed project will be the centerpiece of your work as a MƒA Los Angeles Fellow for five years, so please think carefully about what you want to accomplish. The improvement project could involve becoming trained to teach CS together or developing lessons that deeply integrate math and computing. Harvey Mudd College math and CS faculty will help to guide your team's implementation of the project. MƒA Los Angeles will work with your school to buy-out one of your periods to enable the accomplishment of meaningful work. MƒA Los Angeles program staff will have a discussion with your team about whether team-teaching or a collaborative period would be of most benefit to achieving the goals of your team's improvement project.
Each team of applicants must submit a description of a proposed project that addresses the following questions:
- What is the specific challenge or area of improvement in your school/district that you want to address? Why is this challenge significant?
- What attempts have been made in the past to solve this or similar challenges, perhaps at other schools and districts?
- What do you propose to solve these challenges? How will student outcomes be improved by your proposed work? What computer science or mathematics education research backs up or informs your proposed solution?
- Which students will benefit from these improvements?
- What are some concrete ways of measuring whether your proposed solution is successful? (At least some part of your answer to this question should involve student performance assessments.)
- What resources will you need to be successful?
- How are your proposed improvements aligned with your school’s curricula, standards, practices, and culture?
- How do you think your proposed improvements should be rolled out at your school? Can your ideas be shared across your district?
- How will your proposed work continue to be effective after your five-year fellowship is over?
- Why do you think that what your team does will be successful?
APPLICATION PACKAGE
To apply, submit the following items :
- Information form (two pages)
- Current resume
- Personal statement
- Math course credits list (only for applicants who are not teaching CS)
- Lesson plan with student work samples (computer science or mathematics) that demonstrates your strengths as a teacher
- Praxis exam score report (arrange to have score report sent to MfA Los Angeles--see instructions)
- Two letters of reference, each with a rating form. one letter (one from your principal; the second from your assistant principal/ administrator in charge of your department or an instructional coach). A rating form must be submitted with each letter (to be completed and submitted by the person writing the letter)
- Proposed improvement project, written collaboratively with the other teacher(s) with whom you are applying
- Official transcript from each post-secondary institution you have attended for which you have earned a degree (you should only include transcripts from institutions where you did not receive a degree if you took math classes above Calculus I that you are listing on the math course credits form).
The application packet contains forms and further instructions.
After downloading the application package and saving it to your computer: open it using Adobe Reader; complete it; save it; and then email it as an attachment to mt-apply@mfala.org [Mac users: do NOT use Preview]
Sign-up for email reminders regarding application deadlines on our Contact Us page.
The MƒA Los Angeles Computer Science Fellowship is made possible, in part, by a grant from the National Science Foundation through DUE #1758455 ("Math for America Los Angeles: Elevating Mathematics and Computer Science Instruction through Teacher Leadership").