2025-2026 INSPIRE (New Teacher) Fellowship

KIPP, the Knowledge Is Power Program, is a national network of tuition-free public schools educating 120,000 students in grades Prek-12 across 21 states and Washington, DC.   We have a  network of 16,500 educators and 175,000 students and alumni across the country.  

KIPP Columbus is the only KIPP school in Ohio and educates more than 2,000 students K-12 on a 150+ acre campus in Northeast Columbus.  

In addition to academic excellence, KIPP Columbus also partners with nearly 100 community organizations to provide extracurricular activities, programming, health and wellness services, meals, and more to KIPP students, families, and the broader community. KIPP is also a member of the Ohio High School Athletic Association, offering more than 10 varsity sports. 

The KIPP Columbus learning campus will continue to advance student learning, expand partnerships, enable superior programming, and serve as a teaching and leadership lab for schools nationwide, reimagining education through a deeper lens of antiracism, excellence, and joy as we expand to educate nearly 4,000 students on our learning campus in the coming years. 

Interested in learning more about our school?  Please check out our website: https://www.kippcolumbus.org/

Why Teach with KIPP Columbus?

Respect: We respect and value the unique gifts our teachers bring. KIPP Columbus pays one of the highest salaries of charters in the region, and our comprehensive benefits package includes family leave, access to on-site daycare, fresh meals, and more.  We provide resources to curriculum and materials to support your work in the classroom, and foster a collaborative and supportive working environment for our teams!

Support: We prioritize the growth of every team member. Professional development and one-on-one coaching happen throughout the year to help you deliver your best. As part of the national KIPP Public Schools network, KIPP Columbus staff have access to curriculum, resources, and support from teams across the country.  Teachers receive year-round professional development rooted in antiracist practices and aligned to curriculum or role competencies.  Frequent feedback and support from school leaders, network content coaches, grade-level chairs, and other teammates improve teachers' craft. 

Teachers have dedicated time for planning and collaboration through structures including grade-level and content meetings, and professional development sessions. In our schools, teachers are able to grow their leadership through opportunities like being a grade-level chair, applying for fellowships, running an extra-curricular activity or leading school-wide initiatives as a teacher leader.  

Purpose: KIPP Columbus continues to rank as one of the top schools for academic growth of any school in the state of Ohio, and is a top performing urban school in the state for academic growth. In our first three graduating classes (in spring 2020, 2021, and 2022) 100% of students were accepted to college and/or military service  with nearly $40 million in merit scholarships from colleges and universities awarded.

The Opportunity

Quality teachers have a proven impact on student success. Maximize your impact by joining KIPP  Columbus' teacher training program. Through the INSPIRE (New Teacher) Fellowship, we equip and empower aspiring teachers with the knowledge, skills, and mindsets necessary to develop into highly effective educators that prepare students for success in college, careers, and life.  

Our INSPIRE Teaching Fellows receive 1 year of hands-on teaching experience, unparalleled coaching, professional development, and a commitment to educational equity!  You’ll train in a transformational KIPP Columbus school led by a diverse group of administrators, teachers, and staff. As you master your craft, you will learn from dynamic, experienced educators with ample resources and a strong curriculum.  Our Fellows have become Teachers of the Year, school leaders, and advocates for educational equity.  Fellows from all majors and experience levels are accepted.  

Throughout the year, Fellows learn and grow by engaging in four key components of our program:

• Deliberate Practice: Fellows will frequently engage in deliberate practice through participation in professional development with a focus on lesson planning and classroom management.
• Gradual Release of Responsibility: Through the guidance and support of a mentor teacher, fellows will take part in increased opportunities to lead teach in an environment that is structured and stable. The mentor also fosters a positive, nurturing, and connected relationship with the Fellow.  
• Instructional Coaching:  A coach/manager will help to oversee the Mentor-Fellow relationship, ensure that Fellows have a safe and supportive platform to practice acquired skills and lead Fellows through observation-feedback meetings that are individualized and responsive to each Fellow’s unique needs. 
• KIPP Columbus Mission, Vision and Values: Fellows will have opportunities to engage, invest in, and connect with KIPP Columbus’ Mission, Vision, Values, the role of a teacher at KIPP Columbus, and the community as a whole.  They will leave the Fellowship program inspired to continue the work and advance the mission.

Key responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

Instructional Responsiveness & Content Knowledge

• Craft, internalize, and implement high-quality, challenging, and engaging lesson plans using provided curriculum resources to meet the diverse needs of all learners.
• Review student data individually and with department or grade-level teams to plan for re-teaching and follow-up lessons.
• Develop individualized learning plans for students and communicate these plans to families in parent meetings and conferences.
• Collaborate with content and grade-level teams to promote an environment of critical thinking and academic rigor.
• Attend staff meetings, professional development sessions, and team meetings.
• Embrace and incorporate feedback in the spirit of constant improvement.

Care of Students & Classroom Culture

• Build a classroom culture that empowers students, affirms their identities, and creates a sense of belonging for all students
• Implement the school-wide and classroom management policies and practices
• Create a responsive and inclusive environment for parents and families

Team Support

• Attend staff meetings, professional development sessions, and team meetings.
• Participate in the daily functions of the school such as morning, lunch, and afternoon supervisory duties.
• Embrace and incorporate feedback in the spirit of constant improvement.
• Meet professional obligations including timeliness and consistency in meeting deadlines.

• Bachelor's Degree Required
• Current Ohio Teaching License or willingness and ability to pursue certification by start date Required
• Belief that outstanding school leaders, staff, and teachers can achieve excellent outcomes for all students.
• Ability to persevere with a sense of optimism, strong problem solving skills, and desire to learn and grow in a collaborative professional learning community.
• Willingness, and commitment, to go above and beyond to prove the possible with students.
• Ability to multi-task and work within an ambiguous, fast-moving, start-up environment, while driving toward clarity and solutions.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Extreme flexibility, with a strong work ethic and an entrepreneurial spirit to accommodate high levels of responsibility and multiple priorities.
• Model the values of KIPP Columbus (Imagine, Navigate, Seek, Persevere, Integrity, Responsibility, and Empathy).

Compensation and Benefits

At KIPP Columbus we strive for clarity, equity, and to be highly competitive with our compensation and benefits offered to our team.  INSPIRE Fellows annual salary is $35,000.  If you move into a teaching role you move onto our teacher salary scale that begins at $50,000.  

Our teacher salary scale is linked here, with a starting salary of $50,000 for a teacher with 1 year of teaching experience.  We also offer appreciation stipends for teachers that have taught with KIPP Columbus for 5 and 10 years.  

As a Teaching Fellow, you would have access to our robust benefits package including medical, dental, and vision insurances as well various voluntary benefits (such as short term disability, long term disability, life insurance, and participation in the Ohio SERS/STRS retirement plan.)  We also offer seasons of life support with 10 weeks paid maternity leave and 4 weeks paid spousal leave/adoption leave. 

Statement of Non-Disclosure

KIPP Columbus is committed to a policy of equal treatment for all individuals applying to the school for consideration of any position (admission, employment, etc.). KIPP Columbus does not discriminate on the basis of disability, gender, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic that is contained in the definition of hate crimes set forth in Section 4112.02 of the Ohio Revised Code