The Fellowship Model

Fellows each support a single Pre-K classroom for the entire school year by providing one-on-one, small-group, and whole-group literacy instruction to children. Fellows implement a research-backed literacy framework that builds foundational skills, including letter recognition, vocabulary, and phonemic awareness. Fellows are in schools five hours per day every day for an entire school year. By engaging in daily literacy instruction and the following training opportunities, Fellows gain hands-on experience and professional development towards a career in education, which strengthens a community-rooted  teacher workforce.

Fellows gain hands-on experience working with students while learning the best practices in early literacy education. Before entering a classroom, Fellows attend an approximately 40+ hour Literacy Lab-led training where they participate in hands-on instruction led by The Literacy Lab staff with extensive experience in early childhood/elementary literacy education. During this training, Fellows gain proficiency in a full suite of research-based literacy instructions and assessments. 

During the school year, Fellows benefit from at least 90 additional hours of training, ongoing coaching, and formal observation. This model of support and feedback ensures high-quality literacy instruction for students and fosters Fellows’ interest in future careers in education. In addition, Fellows participate in standardized weekly professional learning groups (PLGs) to build their readiness for college and career success. PLGs cover topics such as educator development and career readiness in the education space.