Independent School Teaching Fellows Program

The Creation of the ISTF Program to Address a Need

In 2016, Darryl Ford and Jacquelyn Hamilton created the ISTF program to address the perennial need for teachers from underrepresented identities, particularly aspiring educators of color, in independent schools. The program’s mission is to recruit, train, and retain talented college graduates from diverse backgrounds to become effective, empathic, and creative teachers. 

Since its inception, William Penn Charter School has served as the lead institution responsible for managing and administrating this program, which has grown from a partnership with two schools to a multi-school collaborative with five independent school partners and one higher education partner. 

The ISTF program is a two-year teaching fellowship that includes hands-on classroom experiences, mentorship, weekly professional development, and an opportunity to earn an advanced degree at a reduced cost. While some teaching fellowship programs are based solely in one school, the ISTF program is a unique multi-school collaborative.

The program follows a cohort model and is designed to provide its teaching fellows with vital building blocks for success in independent schools: 

• Hands-on classroom teaching experience in a variety of independent school communities; 

• Teaching Fellows rotate each semester to a different school and gain insight into a variety of independent school communities;

• Mentorship and opportunities for collaboration with experienced teachers and education specialists;

• Professional development each week where the facilitators and cohort work collaboratively to explore best practices in teaching and learning, salient cutting-edge research in education, and culturally responsive approaches to teaching;

• Options for an advanced degree in education through a partnership with Rosemont College.
   

Where are they now?

• The ISTF program has launched our Teaching Fellows into a variety of independent schools across the region and beyond: Friends’ Central School, Miquon School, Madeira School, Shady Hill School, Moses Brown School, Georgetown Day School, William Penn Charter School, Holy Child School at Rosemont, Community Partnership School, St. Peter’s School. Some of our Teaching Fellow alums work in public or charter schools and other mission-aligned institutions. All of our teaching fellows who completed the program in 2023, 2024, and 2025 have been hired to teach in independent schools.
• Several of our Teaching Fellows have pursued advanced degrees in education and related fields. 

This program is supported by the generosity of our donors. We are fortunate to also be the recipient of an E. E. Ford Leadership Grant. Contact Chris Rahill OPC '99, interim director of development, to learn more or make your gift today. 

We are grateful for the individuals and institutions who have supported the ISTF program in a variety of ways:

• Darryl Ford and Jacquelyn Hamilton for their leadership and visionary work that led to the creation of the ISTF program. Through their dedication, they were able to turn a dream into a reality in service of the larger independent school community.
• The E.E. Ford Foundation’s Leadership Grant which will allow the program to continue to grow and support schools in the greater Philadelphia region.
• The Lehr Fund and the SNAVE Foundation for providing financial support and for embracing the mission of the program.
• The Alumni Society of the William Penn Charter School for its financial support and its commitment to the mission of the program.
• Our partner schools: Community Partnership School, Friends' Central School, Agnes Irwin School, Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, and William Penn Charter School.
• Members of the  ISTF Advisory Board for being thought-partners, supporters, and valued advisors.
• The William Penn Charter School and Alyson Goodner, Director of Penn Charter’s Center for Public Purpose for taking the lead with administering and managing the program.
• William Penn Charter School Office of DEI for the on-going support of the teaching fellows and the program.

Naveena Bembry: Prior to taking on this leadership role, Naveena was a classroom teacher for 25 years at the William Penn Charter School, where she taught 3rd grade and 5th grade. As a 5th grade teacher, she taught history through a social justice lens by highlighting diverse voices and multiple perspectives, while uncovering hidden figures in history. As a life long educator, Naveena has been active in DEIB work both at Penn Charter as well as in the larger independent school community. Naveena has presented at several conferences including the Cheryl Irving Cultural Competency Institute at the  Multicultural Resource Center (MCRC) and the Innovation Summit sponsored by the Association of Delaware Valley Independent Schools (ADVIS). Naveena is a trained facilitator for the National SEED (Seeking Educational Equity & Diversity) Project. She has led SEED groups for faculty and staff as well as SEED cohorts for parents, caregivers, and senior administrators. 

From 2021 - 2023, Naveena served as a professional development facilitator and mentor for the Independent School Teaching Fellows Program of Greater Philadelphia (ISTF). In 2023, she took on this new leadership role, and she is excited to continue supporting the mission of the ISTF program and steward its commitment to cultivating the next generation of educators.