Ed. Fellows FAQ

Ed. Fellows is an innovative program that is currently funded using ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) and state funding. 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.

Beginning this year, all fellows must be enrolled in a minimum of six hours a semester. This must be done no later than one semester after your date of hire. If there are unique or extenuating circumstances, please contact your coach so we can work with you.

Yes they can! It is important to note that when you are student teaching, the only leave that should be granted will be for any university coursework that is required to be taken off campus and in person. This should be verified by providing proof of this requirement to your building administrator. In addition, if possible, you should be granted leave to attend the program communities of practice and jumpstarts. However, we do understand that it may not be possible to meet the obligations of student teaching and the obligations of the program communities of practice. Your student teaching assignment and requirements always take priority over the ed fellows community of practice requirements. Please contact your coach if you have conflicts with the communities of practice while student teaching and they will work with you on an alternative.

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.

It is important to keep in mind that the program is designed to specifically accomplish the following:

• Provide supplemental (or in addition to existing supports in the school setting) for students. Because this funding is in addition to an LEAs existing budget, this means that even if an Ed Fellow must be out of the building for 12 hours a week, they are still providing support to students that otherwise would not exist.
• Remove barriers for aspiring educators to obtain a degree that leads to certified teaching licensure

The Ed. Fellows are currently funded by both federal and state funding sources, and adherence to the program MOU and requirements must be adhered to.

In five day school districts, all Ed. Fellows are guaranteed a minimum of 1 hour of paid professional leave per credit hour of verified enrollment, up to 12 hours per week.

In four day school districts, all Ed. Fellows are guaranteed a minimum of 30 minutes of paid professional leave per credit hour of verified enrollment, up to 6 hours per week.

In addition, Ed. Fellows must receive paid professional leave for program communities of practice. This year, there will be two day virtual jumpstart academy held in August/September. There will be three more one hour communities of practice provided throughout the year after the Jumpstart Academy.

In order to verify leave granted, 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. Verified synchronous classes that are taken during the school day, must be taken off campus during the time of the class. Verified asynchronous classes or synchronous but times that are outside of the school day, study time leave should still be given. This time must be taken in a dedicated space with minimal distraction away from students if taken on campus. It is up to the discretion of the building administrator if they will allow for study time off campus. The study time must be taken off campus, if a quiet space is not available for the fellow. The schedule should be created in collaboration with the fellow, mentor teacher, and administration.

Professional leave is only granted during the time that university/college courses are in session.

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. Long term substituting is strictly prohibited.

Yes. All Ed. Fellows should be connected to a mentor teacher. Mentor teachers serve in a critical role for fellows, and we are very thankful for the guidance mentor teachers provide. 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 a two day Jumpstart Academy will be provided in August/September. After completion of the Jumpstart Academy, your full stipend will be issued. In addition, there will be three one hour communities of practice throughout the year. 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. 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 to develop an alternative plan.

*ALL Jumpstart and Community of Practice sessions are required for eligibility for continued participation in the program.

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.