Fellowship Program develops leaders

Teach For Japan Fellowship Program – Quarterly Progress Report (FY2025 Q3) Overview

During this quarter, Teach For Japan (TFJ) continued to place passionate Fellows in under-resourced schools across Japan. Fellows work full-time as teachers while receiving ongoing training and mentorship. Through this program, we aim to improve student learning outcomes and develop leadership capacities that contribute to long-term educational equity.

Key Progress

• New Cohort Launched: In April 2025, 43 new Fellows began teaching in public schools across Japan.

• Addressing Teacher Shortages: While teacher shortages have been reported in 48 regions nationwide, TFJ’s Fellow placements helped prevent or resolve shortages in 30 regions, ensuring learning opportunities for approximately 3,000 students.

• School Leaders’ Evaluation: Principals rated Fellows highly compared to other new teachers. Across nine evaluation items—including teaching practice, student guidance, school operations, and community engagement—95 % of Fellows received scores of 3 or higher on a 5-point scale.

• Professional Development: Fellows participate in monthly leadership workshops and receive one-on-one coaching. Many have launched school improvement initiatives, such as establishing student peer-mentoring clubs.

Story of Impact

In Japan’s remote islands, challenges extend beyond teacher shortages—students often lack access to innovative educational opportunities.
One Fellow assigned to an island school collaborated with companies from urban areas to host a STEAM education camp during the summer break.
The camp welcomed 150 students, providing them with experiences in cutting-edge science and technology fields rarely available in their community.
Through this initiative, children not only discovered the joy of learning but also began envisioning new possibilities for their future.

Key Metrics (FY2025 Q3)MetricResultFellows currently active101Students reached8,389Regions where teacher shortages were prevented/resolved73Community events held3

Challenges & Actions

• Teacher Workload and Well-Being: Japan continues to face one of the world’s longest teacher working hours, with increasing cases of stress-related resignations. TFJ Fellows also work in demanding environments; therefore, in addition to enhancing teaching and leadership skills, it has become essential to strengthen mental health care. However, budget limitations have constrained our capacity to do so. To address this, we are prioritizing fundraising for wellness support programs.

• Data Collection: Collecting consistent performance data remains challenging due to variations in school reporting. We are developing a unified tracking system to capture both academic and socio-emotional indicators more effectively.

Next Steps

• Recruit and train the next cohort of Fellows for deployment in Spring 2026.

• Develop a common framework for evaluating Fellows’ educational impact, adaptable across different local governments.

• Continue to collect and share student success stories to deepen engagement with donors and partners.

Appreciation

Your generous support empowers young leaders to transform classrooms and communities across Japan.
We are deeply grateful for your continued partnership and look forward to sharing further progress and success stories in the months ahead.