AmeriCorps

Education Fellows and VISTA’s

Are you passionate about working with students in Rhode Island’s urban districts?

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Learn more about our current Education Fellows experience through their Story of Service.

Click here to learn about our current AmeriCorps Education Fellows and VISTAs

Education Fellows teach in classrooms across the state, giving our Fellows experiences to launch their careers while making a difference in the lives of our students.

The Learning Community, an innovative urban public school in Rhode Island, offers The Education Fellows Program, a one-year opportunity for recent college graduates who seek professional experience in urban education and want to make a contribution to the lives of young learners. Education Fellows will make a clear and targeted impact on cohorts of students and their dreams for the future.

The Education Fellows Program enables enthusiastic, creative and dedicated individuals who are exploring careers in public education to fulfill meaningful roles in a dynamic urban school alongside experienced professional teachers and administrators. Fellows serve as academic tutors and get to see firsthand strategies in the classroom, at recess and after school that will help close the achievement gap.

Hear from some past Ed Fellows!

I couldn’t be more grateful for the teachers that I worked with. Working with my student’s regular classroom teachers has helped me become more collaborative and creative when it comes to adjusting my teaching practice to better fit my student’s needs and strengths. I have found so much support from the teachers at my school which has not only helped me, but has helped my students as well. Without that support I wouldn’t have been able to complete this year of service successfully.

– Haley, Ed Fellow 2018 – 2019

The moments that made it most memorable for me this year has been the trust the students put in me. I have had students confide in me when they are feeling upset and needed an adult to talk to. I have also, experience the joy that the students bring out of me and vise verse. In the morning I am able to greet the students when they first walk in. During lunch time the students share knock knock jokes and show me hands games they play with one another.

– Jaque’, Ed Fellow 2018 – 2019    

As an Education Fellow, not only have I gained experience with reading instruction and behavior management, but I have also enjoyed helping students, like those in my third grade group, to find their own creativity and use their own voices. Working with kids in small groups allows each child’s voice to be heard, and enables them to join in a group conversation. I hope that I have inspired my students to continue reading and writing, and to be authors writing their own stories.

 – Kate, Ed Fellow 2018 – 2019

My year of service has been one of the most eye opening experiences. A year or two ago I would’ve never imagined myself having the slightest effect on a child’s life. I never once looked at myself as a role model, educator, or even a mentor. Each student I had the pleasure of working with guided me into finding that within myself. I began to realize that teachers were much more than just educators. We are role models. These students gained a lot of trust and comfort in me. They began to seek guidance and advice. This however, completely shifted my experience. I realized that I want to be more than just a teacher. I want to help children through emotional, and physical factors that affect their everyday life – especially in school.

– Rainha, Ed Fellow 2018 – 2019

The VISTA Program

The Learning Community will host 4 AmeriCorps VISTAs during the 2020-2021 school year. Each VISTA will build capacity through systems & curriculum enhancement, family engagement, researching best practices for student health & wellness, and by strengthening partnerships with community art organizations and our partner schools. Our VISTA members play different capacity-building roles in our school community and see a lot of the behind-the-scenes work of making a school successful.

Read more about each of our VISTA positions for 2019-2020:

Communication & Development VISTA – The Communication & Development VISTA will work closely with our Development Department to build and implement new fundraising campaigns that target various populations to support the school. This VISTA will build out the structure and content for the social media and email calendar, keeping it in line with industry best practices for online marketing and communications. Over time, the VISTA will help our school identify, attract, and retain new key stakeholders. Additional funding for the school comes from individuals, corporations, and foundations.  Without external funding, we would not be able to host our afterschool program, summer program, field trips, career awareness programming, among many other programs throughout the year. It is critically important that we continue to attract funders and maximize marketing and communications in order to build the robust educational experience that our students deserve. This position is currently open and will start in September 2020. Click here to apply!

 

Information Technology VISTA – The Information Technology (IT) VISTA, who will be in their first year of this project, will work closely with our IT/Systems Administrator to improve upon the inventory database for all the technology in the school. To streamline classroom technology systems to support the efficiency of students and teachers.   In three years, we expect the IT VISTA to have a sustainable system in place to stay effective and current with our technology. Mastery of information technology is recognized as requisite preparation for the 21stcentury world and requires full integration into classroom learning to be effectual. We need technology in our classrooms to foster collaborative learning, complex problem solving, and development of leadership and communication. With 579 students in our building, it’s essential to have comprehensive and thoughtful systems in place to serve our student and teacher community in order to have seamless access to our various technological resources. This position is currently open and will start in September 2020. Click here to apply!

 

School Culture VISTA – The School Culture VISTA will support several initiatives to improve and support multiple aspects of a healthy school climate. Students learn about social and civil responsibility in a variety of ways, including through the cultural work of our student organizations, Social Action Projects, and reserved times during Advisory to teach social and emotional competencies. This work at The Learning Community is still in its infancy and this VISTA would be a crucial part of growing it. They would help identify existing curricula connected to the various domains of social-emotional competencies. They would then work to embed the curricula into existing curricula. Second, the School Culture VISTA would investigate and identify effective practices related to maintaining a connection with Alumni and enrolling them in initiatives designed to improve climate. Lastly, they would work to increase learner agency and student voice in the daily operations and long-term planning of our school. This position is currently open and will start in September 2020.Click here to apply!

 

 

Data & Research VISTA – The Data and Research VISTA will work in close collaboration with The Learning Community’s Director of Data and Information Systems to refine and analyze existing systems and protocols. Systems include data management to support teachers with their decision making in regard to student performance, tracking statewide comparative data, and proposing changes to the tools currently in use. This position will also involve research and documentation of the school’s student enrollment and teacher assignment data systems. This position is currently open and will start in August 2020. Click here to apply!

 

VISTA Member Benefits

Benefits include extensive training, health coverage, a living stipend, child care allowance, student loan forbearance and other benefits.  Members are eligible for an education award of $6,095 upon completion of a year of service or a cash stipend of $1,800. Please visit the VISTA Campus website for more information about serving as a VISTA.