Become an InSPIRED Fellow

InSPIRED Fellows are In-Service Professionals who are committed to Increasing the Racial and Ethnic Diversity of our teacher workforce by leveraging their backgrounds and personal connections to communicate stories and calls to action to current and prospective educational leaders, helping them understand the impact of Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, and multiracial educators on PK–12 students. The fellowship is designed around four goals:

• Increase the racial diversity of the Massachusetts teaching workforce by providing licensure support and building interest in the profession;
• Increase the retention rates of Black, Indigenous, and educators of color (BIPOC educators) and current educators committed to a diverse workforce by creating a network of like-minded, anti-racist educators and by supporting districts as they strive to improve working conditions for BIPOC educators;
• Build connections between fellows to create a stronger sense of community and support via an affinity network; and
• Elevate the voices of fellows so that the work done in districts and DESE better centers the lived experiences of BIPOC educators.

If you are interested in the Fellowship, please complete this interest form, and we will notify you of upcoming opportunities to get involved.

Please reach out to EducatorDevelopment@doe.mass.edu with any questions.

Why Apply

All students benefit from engaging with diverse teachers and leaders throughout their schooling experience. Currently, 92 percent of the teaching workforce is white, while 40 percent of students across the Commonwealth are students of color. DESE is hoping to elevate the voices of current teachers who can leverage on-the-ground community connections to more strategically recruit and incentivize young people into teaching, particularly individuals from groups underrepresented in the profession.

Who Should Apply

All educators who deeply care about supporting state efforts to build a diverse, culturally responsive workforce should apply. In particular, educators from these diverse districts are strongly encouraged to apply: Boston, Brockton, Chelsea, Everett, Holyoke, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, Randolph, Revere, Springfield, and Worcester.

This highly-selective opportunity is for current educators with close connections to their school-communities and the ability to connect with students in diverse districts, to recruit the next generation of culturally responsive, diverse and effective teachers. These connections may exist for a variety of reasons, including, for instance: growing up in the district, being a fluent speaker of the predominant in-home language of many of the students in that community, or being a first-generation college student. DESE hopes to select a diverse cohort of Fellows who can leverage their own personal story about entering and staying in the profession in order to cultivate interest from students in these largely diverse districts.

Last Updated: January 11, 2021