Applications are now available for TIP’s spring 2026 Seminar Program. Fellows will acquire cutting-edge knowledge from university professors and curriculum materials for use in their classroom based on what they have learned. The curricula will fit into teachers’ required instructional sequence, and will cover District, state and national curriculum standards.
Spring 2026 Seminars
Please read the information below before applying.
A listing of the spring 2026 seminars can be found here.
The application form can be found here.
Applications due Monday, November 10, 11:59pm
Who is eligible
Full-time K-12 teachers from non-charter schools in the School District of Philadelphia
Who is not eligible
- Teachers from charter, private, or parochial schools.
- Teachers who are not certified
- Part-time or substitute teachers
- Teachers who plan to leave the School District of Philadelphia due to retirement or for other reasons by the following September after the seminar sessions. Fellows must be able to teach the curriculum unit they write in TIP in the SDP in the school year following the seminar.
Responsibilities of the Fellows
The TIP program offers Fellows many benefits, including the opportunity to learn with a renowned university scholar and the chance to exchange ideas and build a collaborative relationship with colleagues throughout the District. Benefits also include a $1,500 stipend and 30 Act 48 credits for completing a 15-week seminar. To receive these benefits, Fellows must engage in rigorous study and write a curriculum unit (typically 15-25 pages in length) that they can use in their classroom. Before applying to the program, teachers should consider carefully whether they are able fulfill these responsibilities. The following are the specific requirements for completing the TIP program:
- Complete all required readings (usually two hours or more each week) and come prepared for each weekly session.
- Participate in the lively exchange of ideas focused on the required reading.
- Write a curriculum unit that meets program guidelines.
- Revise and rewrite as needed to meet the standards set by the seminar leader.
- Schedule individual meetings with the seminar leader to discuss each draft of the unit.
- At the conclusion of the program, complete a detailed written evaluation of the TIP experience.
- Implement the curriculum unit developed in the seminar program during the year following the seminar.
TIP Calendar
Preliminary applications will be due November 3. Those deemed eligible will be asked to complete a second application, due December 5. We will notify applicants whether they have been accepted in December of 2025. Seminar meetings will begin in mid-January 2026 and continue through mid-May, excluding spring recess and school or university holidays. Curriculum units must be completed by the end of June.
Completing a TIP Application
Preliminary applications ask for the following:
- Contact information.
- The candidate’s current teaching role and teaching history.
- The candidate’s choice of seminars. Each candidate will be required to select a first- and second-choice seminar. Seminars are interdisciplinary, so a candidate may select one that does not coincide precisely with their teaching area.
Those invited to complete a second round application will have the opportunity to explain how they would apply the material from each seminar to their teaching. We will also ask teachers to obtain their principal’s signature on an approval form, certifying that their proposed topic is in accordance with both the curriculum of the School District and program of the individual school.
Applications will be evaluated by a committee consisting of teacher representatives and TIP’s Director.
The application form is here