Ed. Fellows is an innovative program that is currently funded using ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act). The program is designed to provide additional supplemental support to students and teachers in the classroom allowing for extra resources to better provide small group instruction. In addition, the program removes barriers for individuals interested in becoming licensed educators.

Eligible candidates must have a high school diploma or equivalent, and be seeking a degree that will lead to licensure.

Ed. Fellows can attend the University of their choice. We do encourage individuals who are looking for financial aid to take advantage of the Opportunity Scholarship, if they are eligible which requires them to attend a public New Mexico institution, however the choice is up to the Ed. Fellow where they choose to go.

All Ed. Fellows have up to a semester after their date of hire to be enrolled in school. There is no minimum requirement for the amount of hours the Fellow must take on the program side, however local districts have the autonomy to have minimum requirements when hiring.

Yes they can!

No, we have several Ed. Fellows who are closer to a different BA, and they then would work with their local district to move into an alternative licensure role. Ed. Fellows must have the desire to pursue licensure even if they are seeking a different degree.

The Ed. Fellows are hired by the LEA (Local Education Agency), or local district or charter school. They become full-time employees at their district or charter school. The program reimburses the LEA for the cost of the Ed. Fellow's salary and benefits as well as stipend funding for the Ed. Fellow and Mentor Teacher.

The role of the Ed. Fellow when in the school building, is to support small group instruction. This instruction can be helpful for intervention, enrichment, and social emotional support for students. The Ed. Fellow should not be utilized as a traditional Educational Assistant role, as they are intended to supplement, or be in addition to, the Educational Assistants already on staff. Ed. Fellows might need to take leave throughout the day to complete their higher education requirements, attend program professional development, or observe other classroom instructional techniques and grade levels, and if they were serving in the traditional EA role, this would impact both the school and the Ed. Fellow.

All Ed. Fellows are guaranteed a minimum of 1 hour of paid leave per credit hour of verified enrollment, up to 12 hours per week.

The university schedule of the Ed. Fellow should be confirmed with the building principal, and if the Fellow is taking online coursework the leave should be agreed upon by both the principal and the Ed. Fellow.

Districts can allow for more than the minimum amount of time if they choose, but that is a local decision.

If you need support determining how to manage the paid leave, please reach out to your coach or Amber at amber.romero@ped.nm.gov. We can work with the principal and Ed. Fellow in supporting this process.

Ed. Fellows can substitute up to 16 hours per semester. We know that it might be unavoidable for Ed. Fellows to fill in when needed and there are no other choices, and believe this is a positive experience for them. Please note that if the Ed. Fellow is subbing a substantial amount of time we are not accomplishing our goal of improving student-to-teacher ratios or allowing for flexibility for higher education needs.

Yes. All Ed. Fellows should be connected to a mentor teacher. These mentors are chosen by the building principal as we strongly believe that the building leader understands the needs of the school best. Mentor teachers are provided a $500/semester stipend. Please see the Mentor Teacher Best Practices document below for more information about the Mentor Teacher's role.

This year, Ed. Fellows will be required to attend three 45 minute to one hour Community of Practice sessions with their coach each semester. These communities of practice will be utilized to check in with Ed. Fellows, provide coaching, collaborate with other Ed. Fellows, resources, and support to the Ed. Fellows. Every month, starting in August, Ed. Fellow coaches will provide a variety of times as options. If none of these times work for Ed. Fellows, they can contact their coach, and can participate in the communities of practice asynchronously.

Ed. Fellows can work in one classroom under one mentor teacher. They can also work with one mentor, but work in multiple classrooms. We believe that each school and each Fellow has their own individual needs and strengths and support building administrators to make those decisions based on the needs of the school and the strengths of the Ed. Fellow.