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About the Fellowship

The Cindy Edelman Excellence in Teaching Fellowship is an unprecedented opportunity for K-12 Duval County public school teachers to elevate their teaching careers through a professional development activity of their choosing.

The Fellowship, which launched in 2019, is intended to identify and reward excellence in teaching and support a program of professional development or research. Fellows can receive up to $6,500 per individual or $10,000 per team of teachers for approved expenses.  

Eligibility

 Edelman Fellowships are available to full-time educators in grades K through 12 and are open to teachers in any subject area.

Eligible candidates must: 

  • Be a full-time educator in a public school in Duval County, traditional and charter schools included
  • Spend at least 50% of the work week on direct classroom instruction  
  • Have at least two years of classroom teaching experience
  • Expect to return to the classroom in the following school year 

Teams of teachers who meet all of the above requirements may also apply for the $10,000 award. Teams can include any number of teachers, and be working within the same school or across schools.

Have more questions? See our FAQs or contact Dante Jennings, JPEF Director of Teacher Leadership, at dante@jaxpef.org. 

How to apply 

To complete the application, you’ll need have the following information. 

Section One – Personal and School Information

Section Two – Project Description

  • Rationale and purpose of the project
  • Detailed description

Section Three – Growth and Learning

  • Description of your personal learning objectives
  • Description of the impact on your students
  • Description of the impact on your school community

Section Four – Implementation and Budget 

  • How will you implement your project?
  • How will the award be spent? 

Section Five – Principal Certification 

  • You'll need a letter from your principal signing off on the project, including permission to spend time away from the classroom, if needed 

You will also need to show how you plan to budget the funds for your project.

BUDGET TEMPLATE 

For a successful application, keep in mind the following considerations:

  • The fellowship is intended to help teachers refine their craft, remain excited about their work and bring their learning to other teachers in their schools.
  • The fellowship is an opportunity for teachers to design a learning experience that will transform their classrooms. 
  • The fellowship is NOT designed to support or supplant graduate work.

The Cindy Edelman Excellence in Teaching Fellowship is an endowed fund at The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida, which means it will exist in perpetuity. The Jacksonville Public Education Fund administers the grants in partnership with The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida. 

Former Edelman Fellow Denisha Campbell discusses the application process

Meet the Fellows

Watch: Superintendent Dr. Diana Greene encourages teachers to apply for the Edelman Fellowship

 

 

Examples of learning experiences

Here are some examples of top-tier professional learning experiences that are accessible from Jacksonville.

Watch: How One Fellow Traveled to Puerto Rico with the Edelman Fellowship

 

Help Desk

On Dec. 2, 2020, former JPEF Director of Teacher Leadership Warren Buck hosted a help desk session to answer teachers' questions about applying. Watch the recording below.

 

Help spread the word 

DID YOU KNOW?

 

93%

of public schools in Duval County earned an "A," "B," or "C" in 2021-2022.