High-Quality Teaching Begins Here

KIPP Philadelphia founded the Liberty Teaching Fellowship in 2010 to provide novice and aspiring instructors with a supportive, one-year pathway to teaching in an urban, high-achieving, college preparatory environment. Fellows are full-time teachers-in-training who are supported by an inclusive school culture, veteran teacher mentors, 1:1 coaching, professional development, and a cohort of fellowship peers.

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The Fellowship Experience

  • Training & Support

    The Liberty Teaching Fellowship gives beginning teachers the development, mentorship, and experience necessary to grow into excellent lead teachers. Paired with a veteran mentor teacher, fellows teach a combination of whole class, small group, and individualized instruction, and their teaching responsibilities increase throughout the year.

  • Benefits

    All fellows receive full-time positions with competitive teacher-in-residence salaries and $3,000 to $6,000 in tuition reimbursement to use toward their certification program. Fellows also have access to KIPP Philadelphia’s comprehensive health benefits package for themselves and their families (including employer-paid vision and dental), a 5% 403B matching program for retirement, free financial advising services, and more.

  • Certification & Masters

    All fellows are eligible to enroll in a reduced-cost certification and Master’s program at Relay Graduate School of Education. KIPP Philadelphia provides all fellows with $3,000 in tuition reimbursement, which nearly covers the full cost of certification at Relay.

  • Community

    Fellows are a part of a collaborative team committed to doing whatever it takes to help all students succeed. This community includes current fellows and fellowship alumni, including those who have gone on to become strong veteran teachers and school leaders.

FAQ’s & Program Details

  • Do I need to be certified to be a Liberty Teaching Fellow?

    Certification is not a requirement for admittance to the program. In fact, the majority of our fellows are not certified upon hire. All uncertified fellows spend this preparatory year working toward certification.

  • How does the Liberty Teaching Fellowship support certification?

    Through KIPP Philadelphia’s partnership with the Relay Graduate School of Education, fellows complete coursework and earn their certification by the end of their fellowship year. Fellows have the option to go on to complete a Master’s degree in the year following the fellowship at a reduced rate.

    A Partnership With Relay Graduate School of Education (GSE)Financial Assistance
    • Relay, like KIPP, is on a mission to provide students with high-quality education so they can live choice-filled lives – to get there, Relay focuses on preparing and supporting teachers.

    • Founded by practitioners grounded in day-to-day classroom experience. Coursework is practical and practice-heavy.

    • Affordable and accessible options:
    - 1 year path to certification
    - 2 year path to cert and Master’s
    • KIPP Philadelphia provides a $3,000 tuition reimbursement per program year.

    • KIPP Philadelphia covers the cost of your first round of certification testing.

    • KIPP Philadelphia offers tuition repayment for Fellows enrolled at Relay GSE – we’ll pay your tuition upfront, then deduct the cost in even increments across up to 48 pay periods (essentially, a no interest loan).

If you are inspired by KIPP’s mission and are passionate about providing transformational education outcomes to students in Philadelphia’s educationally underserved neighborhoods, we want to hear from you!

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