University Has Trained Over 15,000 Teachers for New York City Public School Classrooms Under the Fellows Program Since 2000 

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The City University of New York today announced it more than tripled the number of students in this year’s NYC Teaching Fellows program, an accelerated training initiative launched by the New York City Public Schools to meet the growing demand for educators. CUNY has trained over 15,000 fellows since the program’s launch in 2000, including New York City Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels, who earned a master’s degree in childhood education at Lehman College in the Bronx in 2006.  

In the 2025 cohort, 526 fellows enrolled in master’s degree programs at CUNY campuses, more than three times the 164 enrolled in 2024 as more teachers are needed to meet new class size requirements.

“CUNY is proud to serve as New York’s teacher pipeline and meet the rising need of our New York City Public Schools,” said CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez. “Our graduates often come from NYCPS and are eager to give back to the school system that gave them their educational start. It is incredibly rewarding seeing their journey from student to teacher come full circle.”

The program recruits career changers and recent college graduates to teach in high-need subject areas, including special education, science, math and Spanish. Fellows complete a seven-week summer training intensive from June through August before beginning full-time teaching in September. While leading their own classrooms, Fellows pursue a subsidized master’s degree and earn state certification within two to three years. 

“I know firsthand the life-changing power of the NYC Teaching Fellows program, because I was once a Fellow myself,” said New York City Public Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels. “As a career changer, I stood in front of my first classroom because this program opened the door. The Teaching Fellows model does not just fill vacancies. It builds a diverse, mission-driven pipeline of educators who reflect our students, commit to high-need communities, and grow into leaders across our system. As we strive to strengthen outcomes for every child, this partnership with CUNY is more important than ever.”

Under the current partnership agreement with NYCPS, CUNY manages 55% of all NYC Teaching Fellows placements, with participants attending four CUNY colleges: Hunter College, Brooklyn College, City College of New York and Lehman College.

CUNY prepares more than one-third of all new New York City public school teachers and more than 40% of the teachers of color in New York State. New teachers with CUNY degrees have a 17% higher five-year retention rate than teachers prepared elsewhere. 

The University plays a critical role in addressing statewide teacher shortages, strengthening educator diversity and advancing the state’s and city’s universal child care and early childhood initiatives through expanded programs in early childhood leadership and administration.

Today, more than 9,000 Fellows serve in New York City public schools, and more than 600 fellows have advanced into leadership roles as principals, assistant principals and instructional administrators.

– CUNY Media Relations