This document provides information to help you complete the Teaching Ambassador Fellowship application process. Please print this document and refer to it as you complete the vacancy postings.

In order to ensure the privacy and integrity of the Fellowship application process, the application is being conducted through the U.S. Department of Education’s normal hiring process which is managed through a combination of a government-wide jobs database—USAJobs and the Department’s internal hiring management systems—EDHIRES. These instructions will walk you through the application logistics.

There are two applications for the Fellowship—one for the Classroom Fellowship and one for the Washington Fellowship. The postings contain the same items, with the exception of the final questions (Questions 5 and 6). Your responses for all other questions may be the same for both postings if you apply for both Fellowship tracks. If you wish to be considered for both tracks, you must complete and separately submit both applications through USA Jobs. It is recommended that you compose and save your answers in a separate document and then submit them as instructed.

Both the Classroom Fellowship and the Washington Fellowship applications include two components:

1. Resume—the Official Federal Resume required by USAJobs
2. Narrative Responses—Responses to six questions about your candidacy for the Fellowship
3. Letters of Support—Support from your school principal and a teacher or leadership development program.

Applicants should complete all three components and submit them online as instructed through USA Jobs. Federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact 202-401-1259. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

1. Account and Initiating the Application

To begin the specific application process for the Fellowship, you must first create a user account and a Federal resume at MY USAJOBS at the USAJOBs website. For tips on preparing your Federal resume, please click here: http://www.usajobs.gov/infocenter/resumetips.asp#tips

The information in your Federal resume will become part of your application and will automatically be transferred to the U.S. Department of Education’s system, EDHIRES.

To begin the application process:

• Go to the Vacancy Posting
• Click on the [Apply Online] button at the bottom of the announcement.
• Log into your USAJOBS account (if you are not already logged in)
• Select the resume you would like to submit.
• Click on [Apply for this position now!]

You will then be automatically transferred to EDHIRES where you will complete the application process.

2. Personal Information

Once transferred to EDHIRES, follow the on-screen prompts to complete your application. Be certain to read the on-screen instructions thoroughly before continuing. First, you will be asked to complete or update your information on file.

If you have already been to our site you will have the option to update your information on file or go directly to the assessment. We recommend selecting the option to update your information on file each time you apply in order to verify that your data on file is accurate. Please make sure to provide your best email address and phone number in this section.

3. EDHIRES User Account

This section requests that you respond to several core questions which relate to potential employment with the Federal government. These Core Questions DO require a response in order to complete your account. The section also gives details as to how to submit your transcripts or an SF-50. These additional documents are not required for responding to the announcement or registering to apply and they will not be used in the selection of Teaching Ambassador Fellows. Please DO NOT fax these documents.

3. EDHIRES User Account

4. Narrative Responses

After reviewing your supporting documentation, you will be asked to respond to questions specific to this vacancy. You must respond to all questions in order to save or proceed with the application process. Each response must be limited to 3500 characters or approximately 500 words. It is recommended that you compose and save your answers in a separate document and paste them into the online application.

Once you have answered all vacancy questions click on [Finished].

Both the Washington and Classroom Fellow Applications Contain the Following Narrative Response Questions:

A) Contributions to Student Learning—Explain how you feel that you are an effective instructor as measured by improved learning and achievement. Include evidence such as results from assessments, student work, special programs you run, action research you conduct, or other relevant examples. Provide relevant student and community demographic information and how you have tailored your instruction to meet students’ unique needs.

B) Leadership Experience—Discuss your education, personal background, and school, community or other professional leadership roles. Provide specific examples of your leadership with other teachers and discuss how you measured your success. You may want to describe factors leading to success, how you overcame challenges and how you have worked with people with contradictory or opposing views.

C) Interests and expertise—Discuss how your teaching experience informs Department priorities, particularly regarding: supports for excellent teaching through improved training, evaluation or professional development; ensuring the most challenged schools have highly effective teachers; and/or rapidly improving or “turning around” the most underachieving schools. Describe areas of greatest interest to you and explain how work in this area may support your future plans and development.

D) Communication Skills—Describe your experience writing or orally presenting on education issues. Provide examples of the different forums in which you have presented and describe the professional networks in which you participate which could serve as potential vehicles for outreach to other teachers. Discuss specific strategies you have found effective in communicating complex or difficult information or challenges you faced and how you handled these.

Training and Development—Washington Fellowship participation particularly requires learning, analyzing & presenting a lot of information quickly & with detail. Describe how specific professional or leadership training or academic experiences have prepared you for this role. Provide a letter from one such organization verifying your participation & speaking to the types of skills gained as a result by faxing it to the number on the cover sheet. PLEASE FAX ALL LETTERS UNDER ONE COVER SHEET.

School & Community Support—Verify that school leaders support you taking a full-year sabbatical. Describe ways they & other leaders may support outreach to educators in the district, state, or region. Fax a letter from your school or district administrators stating their support for the IPA & speaking to the credentials you describe above. Include contact information (email & phone) for your administrator & a human resources contact here. PLEASE FAX ALL LETTERS UNDER ONE COVER SHEET.

Training and Development—The Classroom Fellowship requires particular comfort networking and the ability to quickly identify & provide information. Describe how specific professional or leadership training or academic experiences have prepared you for this role. Provide a letter from one such organization verifying your participation & speaking to the types of skills gained as a result by faxing it to the number on the cover sheet. PLEASE FAX ALL LETTERS UNDER ONE COVER SHEET.

School & Community Support—Verify school support for program participation, including release time for limited travel if necessary. Describe ways school/other leaders may support outreach to educators in your district/state/region. Fax a letter from your school/district administrators stating their support/speaking to the credentials you describe above. Include contact information (email/phone) for an administrator & a human resources contact. PLEASE FAX ALL LETTERS UNDER ONE COVER SHEET.

The final step of the application process is to review and submit your complete online application package. Review the personal information, vacancy questions and resume for accuracy and completeness. Once you are satisfied with your application click on [Finished] to submit your application. if you do not click on this final [Finished] button your application will not be submitted and you will not receive consideration.

Once you have submitted your application you will be redirected back to USAJOBS where you may view your application status, continue to browse for open positions and/or apply for additional positions. You may return at any time until midnight Eastern Time on February 19, 2010 to update or make changes to your application.

Once you submit, you will be notified that your application is not complete until you have faxed your two letters of support in order to electronically attach them to your other material. The site will tell you to print a specific Cover Sheet which has a bar code specific for your application and a fax number. You MUST include this Cover Sheet in order for your fax to be successful and you MUST include both letters of support at the same time.