Training and Support

Training

Each year, the Blue Engine Fellowship begins with an intensive, four-week training institute in New York City that helps Fellows develop the skills needed to become effective teaching assistants in an urban public high school setting.

• The training period is intensive–eight hours per day for four weeks immediately preceding the start of the school year.
• Training focuses on core principles of instructional leadership including: goal setting, baseline measurements, behavior management, benchmarking, differentiated instruction, problem solving, and tracking towards mastery.
• Structured opportunities will be provided for BETAs to observe effective instruction in action and gain firsthand practice instructing students on their own.
• BETAs will also learn about the New York City school system, their partner school community, and the practical dimensions of the BETA year, including transportation, budget, and a comprehensive benefits review.

Support

Partner schools have full-time Blue Engine Program Directors—top-notch professionals with classroom experience whose sole purpose is to ensure that BETAs have the instructional supports they need to become highly effective instructional leaders.  Program directors are former teachers themselves with strong records of performance in schools serving low-income communities. Their role is to:

• Equip BETAs with content-based instructional techniques
• Conduct observations and provide feedback
• Train BETAs in the use of proven, data-driven strategies to track and improve student learning
• Work closely with teachers and principals to find solutions to the inevitable problems that will arise, providing a constant bridge between BETA activities and the administration at our partner schools
• Support teachers and BETAs in designing a rigorous course curriculum

Additionally, BETA teams in each classroom have Team Coordinators, BETAs in their second year of service. With a year of experience, Team Coordinators are able to provide mentorship and guidance to new BETAs inside and outside of the classroom.

Blue Engine provides BETAs with strong professional support throughout their entire year of service. Fellows have the opportunity to:

• Increase technical skills, including the ability to create long-term plans, assess student progress, implement age-appropriate methods, invest students in their success, and translate lesson plans into effective, differentiated instruction.
• Enhance awareness of the local school context, learn about the challenges that students confront daily and how to address those challenges appropriately, and recognize the importance of respect and open dialogue in a diverse cultural setting.
• Build professional capacity in a workplace setting, including taking collective responsibility for the outcomes of the fellowship team, managing conflict situations, implementing engaging after-school projects, accepting constructive feedback, and adopting successful work habits.
• Develop career awareness, including a better understanding of graduate school and social-impact career options, discerning career interests, building strategic relationships and transferable skills, clearly documenting the achievements of the year, and preparing for the transition beyond the Blue Engine.