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Qualifications
RISE's program focuses on effective teachers that are most at risk of leaving low-income teaching. These are teachers who:
- are currently teaching or have been in the classroom recently, and
- are relatively early in their career (1-10 years). Why?
Minimum Qualifications
To apply to RISE, teachers must have:
- A belief that all students can achieve at high levels.
- At least one year as a full time classroom teacher in a K-12 school in the U.S. serving a low-income population. (This does not include student or substitute teaching.) Why?
- NOTE: RISE defines a low-income population as at least 50% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.
- A valid credential or current enrollment in a credentialing program.
- Eligibility to work in the U.S. (without visa sponsorship).
Selection Criteria
Because RISE Partner Schools serve students in low-income communities where gaps in educational achievement need to be addressed urgently, our application process evaluates candidates on relevant needs including:
- knowledge and application of instructional strategies to address the needs of diverse learners within a single classroom
- demonstrated success in moving students forward academically, with an emphasis on at least one year of academic growth per year of instruction
- commitment to teaching in low-income communities and a belief that all students can achieve at high levels
- ability to reflect on experiences and draw lessons from them
- clear and professional presentation in the application
Your responses to questions on the RISE application, as well as supporting information provided by a senior reference, are the primary tools for the RISE evaluation of applicants.
Application Process
Step 1. Fill out the online RISE application.
Your application generally takes 30-45 minutes to complete. It is reviewed by RISE staff and, if accepted, becomes your profile that principals see on the online RISE Network. RISE will contact you within 5 business days of submitting your application.
Step 2. If invited, complete a brief 10-15 minute phone interview.
This brief phone interview with a RISE staff member focuses on clarifying points in your application and getting a better picture of your teaching.
Step 3. Upon acceptance, log in to search school profiles, view teaching job listings and contact principals.
Once accepted, you have access to teaching job postings and school profiles on the online Network. You can directly contact school leaders for any teaching position. Principals are also searching teacher profiles on the RISE Network to reach out to candidates that would be a good fit for their needs.
The RISE Application
The RISE application becomes your profile that principals see on the Network. It generally requires 30-45 minutes to complete.
In addition to basic information about your academic background, teaching job preferences, and certification, you will be asked to provide:
- Resume (in Microsoft Word or Rich Text format) that includes your most recent five years of teaching and school name, location, supervisor, and dates of employment for each school.
- References (at least 1 senior reference who has observed you teach is required; s/he will be contacted by email)
- Answers to profile statements below
Profile Statement Questions
- Think of an experience when students you taught in a school serving a low-income population demonstrated academic success on a significant standard or unit of instruction. Describe at least two instructional strategies you used to help students of all ability levels achieve the learning goals. Provide specific examples. (200 words or less)
- Describe the academic growth your students demonstrated over time using results of an assessment tool you found useful. A complete answer will include the following: (250 words or less)
- What assessment tool did you use to evaluate student growth?
- According to the assessment, where did your students begin relative to the learning goals?
- According to the assessment, where did they end up?
- What academic growth was demonstrated from where they began?
- Rank the following areas in order of your strength: (a) collaboration with colleagues, (b) classroom management, (c) use of data/assessment to inform instructional decisions, (d) perseverance in the face of challenges, (e) differentiation of instruction to address the needs of all students.
- Optional: Given your reflection on the areas above and your knowledge of teaching students from low-income backgrounds, talk about your area of greatest strength and the area in which you are least strong. How have you worked to address this area? (250 words or less)
Application Tips
We recommend the following practices to maximize your success in completing the application:
- Be sure you meet the minimum critera stated above.
- Think, then write. Review the Profile Statement Questions and the Selection Criteria above carefully. These are the vehicle for you to demonstrate you would be a fit for RISE Partner Schools
- Prepare answers in a Word document to copy and paste into your application. This allows you to save them in the event that there is a problem when submitting the online application.
- Answer the entire questions (including all subpoints).
- Provide specific and compelling evidence and examples (e.g. numerical data, where possible).
- Answer questions in paragraph format rather than bullets or lists. Our system does not support bullets or lists currently so the information you submit will come through as one paragraph and be difficult to read.
- Proofread your application before submitting. Presentation counts.
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