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Southern Connecticut State University has partnered with Yale University, New Haven Public Schools, and New Haven Promise to fund 104 aspiring educators through their master's degrees studies and teacher residency programs over 4 years (2025-2028). In exchange, the newly certified teachers must commit to working in New Haven Public Schools for three years upon completion of the fellowship.
The Yale Supported Teacher Residency Fellowship aims to train high-quality, diverse teachers, cover shortage areas and promote long-term retention for New Haven public schools. This fellowship comes out of the Yale & Slavery Presidential Initiatives and supports the efforts of New Haven Public Schools to increase racial diversity among its teachers within the district.
Fellowship Pathways
Open to: Candidates holding a bachelor's degree with no teaching credentials and no teaching experience, current paraprofessionals and support staff, and current New Haven Public School.
Starting in Summer 2025, the Fellowship for New Teachers will enable 10 college graduates (bachelor's degree) to complete an expedited 12-month Master of Arts in Teaching from Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) that lead to teaching credentials in one of the shortage areas and high needs in NHPS each year. The Fellowship program will provide full tuition, a living stipend, and a cohort experience.
Fellows will be full-time students in the summer, fall, winter, and spring semesters. In addition, in the fall, Fellows will spend 20 hours per week in a mentor teacher’s classroom in the fall semester, and in the spring, Fellows will complete their student teaching with their mentor teacher. In exchange, Fellows commit to teaching in NHPS for at least 3 years following program completion, during which they will receive ongoing mentorship.
Each year, 11 paraprofessionals and support staff will be selected to pursue a 2-year Master of Arts in Teaching leading to a teaching certification from SCSU in one of the shortage areas and high needs in NHPS. They will continue to work as paraprofessionals and support staff during the first year, then work as full-time teachers of record under a Residency Educator Certificate (REC) during their second year of coursework. In addition, Fellows will be full-time students for two summers during completion of the program. Yale will provide full tuition, a stipend, and a cohort experience during the program. In exchange, Fellows commit to teaching in NHPS for at least 3 years following program completion, during which they will receive ongoing mentorship.
Current fully certified teachers
Each year, 5 fully-certified teachers will be funded to pursue a 1-year Master of Science degree in Special Education. The master’s program includes two summers of full-time study. After completing their M.S. at SCSU will transfer into a Special Education teaching position in the district and will commit to teaching for at least 3 years in that role.
Admissions Requirements
Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.)
Track 1 and Track 2 lead to Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) degrees in one of the following concentration areas: Special Education, Mathematics, or Sciences (Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Earth Science) Below are the requirements for each area.
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Completion of a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution with a cumulative undergraduate GPA of at least 2.70. Foreign degrees need to be equivalent to a BS degree, certified evaluation of transcripts and credentials is needed (from WES, ECE)
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Praxis Core (5713, 5723, 5733). Applicants missing the Praxis Core can be conditionally admitted, provided to complete the Praxis Core within 3 months
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Completion of a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution with a cumulative undergraduate GPA of at least 2.70. Foreign degrees need to be equivalent to a BS degree, certified evaluation of transcripts and credentials is needed (from WES, ECE)
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Praxis Core (5713, 5723, 5733). Applicants missing the Praxis Core can be conditionally admitted, provided to complete the Praxis Core within 3 months
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Meet one of the following:
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Completion of major in Mathematics;
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OR completion of 30 CR in Mathematics at the Calculus 1 level or above and 9 CR in a related subject (statistics, economics, etc.);
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OR passed Praxis II Math Test (5165) test and completed the following courses: Calculus 1 (Differential Calculus), Calculus 2 (Integral Calculus), Statistics, Linear Algebra, Geometry* (can be substituted by SCSU Geometry module).
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Candidates not meeting the Praxis II requirement can be conditionally admitted, provided to complete the Praxis II within 3 months
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A total of no less than 39 credits distributed across 5 of 6 content areas (Math, English, Science, Social Studies, Fine Arts OR World languages), including a 3-credit course in U.S. history survey. Applicants missing no more than 2 courses can be conditionally accepted, provided that they complete the missing requirements within 6 months. Those course requirements can be completed at any accredited institution or by the completion of a CLEP exam that matches the required course
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Completion of a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution with a cumulative undergraduate GPA of at least 2.70. Foreign degrees need to be equivalent to a BS degree, certified evaluation of transcripts and credentials is needed (from WES, ECE)
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Praxis Core (5713, 5723, 5733). Applicants missing the Praxis Core can be conditionally admitted, provided to complete the Praxis Core within 3 months
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Meet one of the following:
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Completion of a major in the content area: Biology, Physics, Chemistry or Earth Science
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OR completion of no less than 12 CR in the content area, 1 course in Mathematics at the Calculus 1 level or above and passed Praxis II test in the content area (Biology: Praxis II 5236; Physics: Praxis II 5266; Chemistry: Praxis II 5246; Earth Sciences: Praxis II 5572)
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A total of no less than 39 credits distributed across 5 of 6 content areas (Math, English, Science, Social Studies, Fine Arts OR World languages), including a 3-credit course in U.S. history survey. Applicants missing no more than 2 courses can be conditionally accepted, provided that they complete the missing requirements within 6 months. The course requirements can be completed at any accredited institution or by the completion of a CLEP exam that matched the required course
Master of Science in Special Education (M.S.)
Leading to Cross-Endorsement in Special Education (#165)
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Completion of a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution with a cumulative undergraduate grade point average of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale).
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Foreign degrees need to be equivalent to a BS degree, certified evaluation of transcripts and credentials is needed (from WES, ECE)
GPA Waiver
GPA waivers will be considered for applicants, who have less than a 2.70 cumulative undergraduate GPA, but meet all other admission requirements, have strong support letters, pass the admission interview, and are recommended by the admission committee.
The GPA waiver packet requires a letter from the applicant addressing their GPA and making a case for their waiver request, and no less than 2 strong letters of supports from academics or professional references.
How to Apply
To apply for the Yale Fellowship, please use this link to access the New Haven Promise portal.
Selections will be based on the candidates' demonstrated commitment to teaching in a shortage area, contribution to New Haven and its student diversity, and their willingness to learn and grow as an educator.
The application will ask you to complete several essays and upload academic transcripts, a resume/CV, and SAT/ACT/GRE or Praxis CORE scores (if available).
Summer 2025 cohort: Application deadline is January 1, 2025.
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