Acknowledging that the quality of education in our public schools is determined by the quality of our educators, an ambitious teacher recruitment program, the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program, was enacted by the General Assembly in 1986.
The mission of the program was, and continues to be, to recruit talented high school graduates into the teaching profession and to help them develop leadership qualities such as visionary thinking and risk-taking; qualities that have not, in the past, been valued in teachers. The Teaching Fellows Program challenges students to see beyond the classroom and to think about the connections of education to the quality of life and the economic survival of our state. The program has quickly become one of the most prestigious awards in North Carolina.
The Teaching Fellows Program was one of the components in a ten-point teacher recruitment proposal called "Who Will Teach Our Children." The proposal was developed by the Public School Forum of North Carolina, a nonprofit partnership of business, educational and political leaders from throughout North Carolina. The Forum staff administers the program while a Commission, appointed by the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, President Pro Tem of the Senate, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, develops the policies and regulations governing the program.
• Provide an academically and culturally enriched preparation program that extends beyond the regular college program.
• Provide opportunities and experiences that encourage the development of leaders and decision makers.
• Provide opportunities for building an understanding of education's place in a greater social context.
• Instill a sense of mission, service and professionalism in the Teaching Fellows.
• Improve the image of teacher education candidates and programs campus-wide.
• Recruit and retain greater numbers of male and minority teacher education candidates in North Carolina.
The profile of a Teaching Fellow is an average SAT score of over 1205, a high school grade point average of 4.3 or more on a scale of 4.0, and rank in the top 7 percent of his/her high school graduating class. In keeping with the goal to recruit males and minorities, each year approximately 20% of the program’s recipients are minority, while 30% are male.
Selection Process
• Teaching Fellows recipients are selected through a collaborative process that occurs at the school district and regional levels. Selection committees are composed of education, political, business, and community leaders from across the state. Over 1,200 volunteers are involved each year in identifying the recipients.
