Each cohort fellow will receive:
- $1,000 stipend
- Book bundles, inclusive of materials presented in professional development sessions, supplemental resources, and books for classroom use
- Monthly professional development sessions
- In-person sessions: Opening sessions will focus on communal establishment of cohort parameters and best practices, introductory materials, and needs assessments. Closing sessions are reserved for sharing plans and progress with curriculum development, community engagement, self-reflections and program assessment.
- Virtual sessions: Remaining monthly sessions will be held online. Topics shall be selected based on the cohort needs assessment and may include a combination of university and outside subject matter experts, guided practice with project personnel, and cohort collaboration around specific topics upon request.
- Travel support for in-person sessions (mileage and hotel) and professional conference sessions for presentations on the Teaching Forward Fellowship
Draft Schedule of Meetings and Topics
| Date | Format | Focus/Activities |
| September 27-28, 2025 | In-Person Retreat | Kickoff & Community Building • Fellowship orientation • Needs assessment survey • Establish shared goals & community practice • Begin “Archaeology of Self” reflection (Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz) • Presentations from project partners • TRE session • Initial contact with community partners |
| October 18, 2025 | Virtual Session and cohort discussion | Foundations of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy • Reading/discussion: Cultivating Genius (Gholdy Muhammad) • Speaker on humanizing pedagogy •Teacher reflections |
| November (Date TBD – either 15th or 22nd) | Virtual Session and peer mentoring | Exploring Bias, Identity, and Representation • Continued work on Arch of Self • Begin developing curricular focus areas • Breakout discussions by topic/discipline |
| December 13, 2025 | Virtual Workshop | Building Cultural Competency • Featured speaker or training on interrupting bias |
| January (Date TBD) | Virtual Workshop | Trauma-Informed Pedagogy in Practice • Emphasis on somatic strategies & classroom application |
| February (Date TBD) | Virtual Session and cohort discussion | Research and Local Contexts • Student demographics and histories • Small group work with local community data, family engagement strategies |
| March (Date TBD) | Virtual Session and cohort discussion | Resource Curation & Integration • Discussions with project directors on lesson planning • Integration of multimodal resources • Midpoint survey and evaluation |
| April (Date TBD) | Virtual Session and peer mentoring | Peer Feedback & Refinement • Fellows share lesson ideas in small groups • Feedback using protocol (e.g., tuning protocol) |
| May (Date TBD) | Virtual Session and cohort discussion | Connecting with Families & Communities • Panels or roundtables with community partners • Action planning for school-community connections |
| June (Date TBD) | Virtual Session and peer mentoring | Drafting and Feedback • Work on lesson plan development • Office hours with mentors and directors |
| July (Date TBD) | Virtual Check-Ins as needed | Drafting and Feedback • Self-paced work and reflection, planning for 26-27 • Office hours with mentors and directors |
| August (Dates TBD) | In-Person Retreat | Closing Retreat • Surveys and assessments • Shared goals & community practice • Presentations from cohort members • Establishing sustainability plans and future goals |