Washington, D.C. (October 2, 2024) — The NEA Foundation is proud to announce the selection of its prestigious 2025 cohort of Global Learning Fellows. The new cohort includes 48 educators from 35 states and Japan.
The Global Learning Fellowship is The NEA Foundation’s unique professional development program for educators, centered on deepening educators’ competency to empower students to excel and flourish as they navigate an interconnected world.
The 2025 fellows hail from a wide range of urban, suburban, and rural communities, as well as a U.S. Navy base in Japan. They teach at levels ranging from kindergarten through 12th grade, and cover a breadth of subjects, including special education, STEAM, foreign languages, agricultural science, history, and English. Nearly half of the cohort identifies as educators of color, providing a tremendous opportunity for this diverse group of fellows to learn from one another as they bring their varied perspectives into their fellowship year.
Taking place over the course of the next academic year, the fellowship includes:
- Ongoing workshops and webinars with global competency and education experts
- Fellows’ independent study followed by group reflection and discussion
- Group mentoring
- A two-day in-person conference
- Completion of a capstone project incorporating one or more of the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals into classroom instruction
- A 10-day international field study to examine another country’s education system, culture, and historical context
The Global Learning Fellowship fosters a deeper appreciation for cultural differences, stronger perspective taking skills, and firsthand experience of another culture’s approach to education. The fellowship also reinforces the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in educators meeting the needs of their students and participating in their communities. Additionally, the fellows will develop an informed understanding of what global competency in the classroom looks like, why it’s critical for the future of education and our world, and how they can be advocates for global learning.
The new fellows will join a network of more than 500 public school educators who have participated in the Global Learning Fellowship Program since its inception in 2011. Program alumni are invited to participate in the community of Global Learning Fellows on an ongoing basis, contributing to an evolving network of continual learning, growth, and connection. Fellows have come from all 50 states, teaching every subject, at every grade level, and at all stages of their teaching careers. For many past fellows, participating in the field study was their first time traveling abroad.
Get to know the 2025 NEA Foundation Global Learning Fellows by visiting www.neafoundation.org.
The NEA Foundation will begin accepting applications for the 2026 Global Learning Fellowship in December 2024.
