Spend a summer teaching. Spend a lifetime leading.
Join the premier summer teaching program designed for undergraduates of all majors and career aspirations. For more than 40 years, Breakthrough Collaborative has supported students from under-resourced communities across the country, on their path to college – working with them during summers and through out-of-school programs. During a summer teaching residency with Breakthrough, you will gain valuable classroom experience and grow your leadership skills in a fun and supportive community.
- Receive 100+ hours of training and continued coaching from professional educators
- Participate in a nine-week* summer program with living stipend
- Develop skills in presentation, public-speaking, collaboration, and leadership
- Teach academic and enrichment classes at one of our 25 affiliates
- Learn classroom management, instructional strategies, and feedback techniques
- Work with a diverse group of motivated students, undergraduates, and professionals in a hard-working and fun community
Choose from 25 sites across the country
When applying, you will rank your top locations. Your application will be reviewed by our selection committees, in that order. Complete details about each program’s dates, stipend, housing information, and other details are available in our online site directory.
BREAKTHROUGH TEACHING FELLOWS
95% WOULD RECOMMEND THE EXPERIENCE
76% IDENTIFY AS BIPOC (black, indigenous, people of color)
26% ARE STEM MAJORS
The Breakthrough Teaching Fellow experience is designed for undergraduates of all majors. Each summer, undergraduates from all disciplines join our team — those who intend to pursue careers in education, as well as those who are on other professional paths. We encourage students from all majors and with all professional interests to apply (education coursework is not a prerequisite).
Educational equity is central to Breakthrough’s mission and is one of our organization’s core values. We are committed to intentionally creating diverse communities and work to ensure that all identities – particularly Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and those that have been historically marginalized – are represented and supported. As educators, we strive to create spaces where our students feel safe, and work to ensure that each member of our community is supported. As a collective of community-based organizations, each of our affiliates work to see the identities of the communities they serve reflected across all levels of the organization.
BREAKTHROUGH STUDENTS
96% IDENTIFY AS BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color)
75% FIRST-GENERATION COLLEGE-GOERS
50% MORE LIKELY TO GRADUATE COLLEGE
Many Breakthrough students will be the first in their families to graduate from college and often attend under-resourced schools. They choose summers at Breakthrough filled with rigorous academics (and fun!) to keep themselves on the path to college. As a Teaching Fellow, you’ll guide and support your students. Research shows that students from lower-income backgrounds can lose up to two months of math and literacy skills over the summer.
At Breakthrough, our students work to combat this, leading to growth and contributing to their academic success.
