Teaching Positions

Indianapolis Teaching Fellows is recruiting teachers to teach in the critical shortage subject areas of math, science, special education, and Spanish. Candidates interested in teaching one of these subjects must meet the eligibility requirements as outlined in the Program Eligibility section of this website.

In order to secure a teaching positions, Fellows will participate in a number of job search activities, such as Fellow Interview Days, and use a variety of tools and resources to identify teaching opportunities.  All Fellows will secure full time teaching positions. Ultimately, Fellows should understand that they will teach at schools where they are needed most. 

Teaching Math and Science

The facts:

  • 63% of Indianapolis 10th graders perform below proficiency on the state-wide Mathematics exam.
  • Math students taught by a math major average one full year ahead of peers taught by a non-math major. And students in disadvantaged communities—often students with the greatest need for academic intervention—are twice as likely as their counterparts in non-low-income schools to have math teachers with a non-math major or minor.
  • Nationally between 17 percent and 28 percent of public high school science teachers, depending on field, and 20 percent of mathematics teachers lacked full certification in their teaching field in 2002; the problem was proportionally higher for middle grades.

Indianapolis  Teaching Fellows needs accomplished individuals to teach in critical shortage subject areas such as math and science. Specific subject-area knowledge—academic or professional—is needed in the classroom to provide students with a strong math and science background in order to set them up for success in their academic and professional future. We encourage and invite strong math and science candidates to inspire Indianapolis students in a field that inspires them.

Teaching Special Education

The facts:

  • 30% of our nation’s positions for college professors in special education go unfilled every year; 3,000 fewer special education teachers are trained as a result. Multiply by sixteen children per teacher, and our nation is looking at 48,000 children affected by a lack of classroom teachers in one year alone.

Indianapolis Public Schools and Indianapolis charters need teachers to take on the role of educator, advocate, and specialist in a classroom for children with special needs.  More than 6,200 children in IPS receive special education services and need a teacher who will work hard for them. 

All special education Fellows are licensed to teach Mild Interventions.  Students who fall into this category often have learning disabilities and are mildly mentally handicapped.  Special education teaching positions in IPS can take many forms depending on the school, grade level, and needs of students.  The most common settings for current Fellows teaching special education include:

  • Inclusion setting- special education teachers work with the classroom teacher to ensure that appropriate teaching strategies and activities are being used for the students in that class who have special needs.
  • Self-contained setting- only students with special needs are in the classroom being taught by the special education teacher.  
  • Other – the special education teacher works one-on-one with students and small groups as needed. 

Many Fellows work in a combination of the different teaching settings described above and many teach multiple subject areas.  For more information, visit the IPS special education website.

What is special education?
Special education is a legal definition for programs that provide greater support for certain students. ‘Special education’ does not refer to a specific location or fixed concept but rather includes a broad range of student services from a smaller, more individualized learning environment, to assistive technology, to a modified curriculum that capitalizes on a student’s particular strengths. Under the law in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), all students are provided services that support their needs.

Every teacher in the public education system works with children with disabilities and needs a basic understanding of the system. Special education teachers work largely or exclusively with students who qualify for services.

Indianapolis Teaching Fellows who are placed in a special education setting will work with students who have mild-to-moderate disabilities, such as difficulties in reading, math, or writing. Fellows will not be placed in classrooms at the moderate-to-severe end of the special needs spectrum.

For more information on the history of special education and the movement to provide all children with a free and appropriate education (FAPE), visit the Council for Exceptional website.

What are the benefits of teaching special education?
Special education is designed around the concept of individualized curriculum. Classes are smaller, and the teacher has the opportunity to get to know students and their families at a much more personal level. The teacher’s job is to meet educational goals that have been tailored to the needs of a particular student and write new goals each year, as (s)he meets with a team that assesses the child’s progress and determines next steps in the student’s education. Fellows teaching special education will likely have the opportunity to team teach or use other teachers as a resource, building relationships throughout the school building to support the classroom. Fellows in this setting may also design individualized schedules, so that students participate in academic classes with their grade-level peers for a portion of the day.

One of the most exciting aspects of a placement in special education is the opportunity to be both advocate and teacher. While teachers are first and foremost responsible for academic goals, they also work to develop a positive school environment for students with special needs. Teachers encourage students to participate in all aspects of school life and become a liaison to ensure that students receive the same opportunities as their counterparts taking a mainstream course load. As a case manager, special education teachers monitor students’ progress and report to families and other teachers, while at the same time relying on organizational skills to develop individualized tracking systems and manage case-related paperwork. In addition, Fellows will receive specialized training and support through their credentialing program.

While there are many challenges in this placement—students are often far behind their academic potential, many have internalized negative assumptions about their abilities, and special education teachers need to balance the demands of teaching and case management—there are enormous rewards. Teachers in a special education setting have the potential to see significant growth in students’ abilities and join a civil rights movement to ensure that all children have access to an outstanding education.

Most teachers of special education cite strong personal relationship with students and their families, as well as smaller class sizes, as top reasons for teaching in a special education setting.

 


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