TNTP, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring that “all students get excellent teachers,” is now accepting applications for the 3rd annual Fishman Prize for Superlative Classroom Practice. Teachers working with low-income students are eligible for the prize, which is awarded to four teachers annually. Winners receive $25,000 and participate in a six-week summer residency. TNTP also publishes papers by winners about their teaching experiences and offering advice to other teachers.
At last year’s residency program, winners discussed effective teaching practices, wrote about their own teaching, and met U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Senator Dick Durbin on a trip to Washington, D.C. .
“It’s amazing to think how quickly my understanding and perspective of the world of education changed,” wrote Javier Velazquez, a 2013 winner, in a post on the TNTP blog.
TNTP is looking for public-school teachers “who demonstrate exceptionally effective teaching with students from high-poverty communities,” according to a press release. They determine this through a lengthy and highly selective application process. First, teachers submit a written application. Next, selected teachers submit video applications and letters of recommendation. TNTP representatives visit semi-finalists in their classrooms to observe their teaching. Finalists conduct an in-person interview with a panel of judges. The organization received more than 570 applications from 42 states for the 2013 Fishman Prize.
The early deadline for the 2014 Fishman Prize is Dec. 3, 2013. The final deadline is Jan. 21, 2014. Good luck!