K-12 and Higher Education

about the field

K-12 and higher education professions are often at the forefront of driving community engagement and social change, recognizing education as a powerful tool for shaping a more just and equitable society. Educators, administrators, and researchers in this field are committed to creating learning environments that empower students, promote social responsibility, and foster critical thinking to address complex societal challenges.

In K-12 education, teachers and school leaders work with diverse student populations to create inclusive, culturally responsive classrooms that encourage active participation in social change. Beyond academic instruction, they foster a sense of civic responsibility, teaching students the value of community engagement and social justice. School-based programs often focus on themes like environmental sustainability, racial equity, and mental health, allowing students to become informed, compassionate citizens who are motivated to make a positive impact on their communities.

Higher education professionals, including professors, counselors, and administrators, play a crucial role in advancing research, policy, and community-based initiatives that address systemic issues. Universities and colleges serve as hubs for social innovation, where students and faculty collaborate with local and global communities to address problems such as inequality, climate change, and access to education. Through service learning, community outreach programs, and interdisciplinary research, higher education fosters a culture of engagement that prepares students to lead change in their careers and in society.

By centering social justice in teaching and learning, education professionals actively contribute to creating a more inclusive world where all individuals, regardless of their background, have the opportunity to succeed and make meaningful contributions to their communities.

internships & Opportunties

national partners

The Bonner Foundation has partnerships with non-profit organizations and national agencies that provide opportunities such as internships, direct service, international experiences, summer placements, post-graduate fellowships, employment, and more to Bonner students, staff, and alumni in the Bonner Network. The following organizations have opportunities in the field of K-12 and higher education:

The National Assessment of Service and Community Engagement (NASCE) is an institutional assessment for measuring how well participating colleges and universities fulfill their missions as they relate to service and community engagement. NASCE comprehensively measures the rate, frequency, and depth of student service and community engagement across 9 areas of human need, and assesses student perceptions of and obstacles to service, as well as institutional structures that impact service participation.

Campus Compact is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the public purposes of higher education. It supports member institutions in building the knowledge, skills, and capacity needed to enable a just, equitable, and sustainable future. Campus Compact envisions colleges and universities as vital agents and architects of a diverse democracy, committed to educating students for responsible citizenship in ways that both deepen their education and improve the quality of community life.

City Year was founded in 1988 on the belief that young people can change the world. City Year is an education-focused, nonprofit organization that unites young people of all backgrounds for a year of full-time service aimed at keeping students in school and on track to graduation. At City Year’s 28 urban locations across the U.S. and two international affiliates, teams of trained young people called AmeriCorps members serve full-time in schools during the academic year as tutors, mentors and role models. By focusing on attendance, behavior and course performance, which identify students who are at risk of not graduating on time, AmeriCorps members are positioned to help students and schools succeed.

The IMPACT Conference is historically the largest national gathering of student leaders, administrators, faculty, and nonprofit staff committed to engaging students in service, activism, politics, advocacy, and other socially responsible work. This event continues and builds on the legacy of the COOL National Conference and the Idealist Campus Conference, spanning an incredible 34-year history. IMPACT is the one time during the year when students, administrators, faculty, AmeriCorps members and VISTAs, and nonprofit professionals gather together to learn and share effective practices, improve personal skills and organizational strategies, discover opportunities and resources, exchange stories, be inspired and challenged to sustain our efforts.

Memphis Teacher Residency (MTR) is an urban teacher training program that includes a Masters in Urban Education and a full-year internship in an urban school paired with a highly effective mentor. As a response to the gospel mandate to love our neighbors as ourselves, MTR will provide students in our partner neighborhoods with the same, or better, quality of education as any child in Memphis receives by recruiting, training and supporting effective teachers within a Christian context. The MTR residency is open to all majors. During the residency year, MTR provides a stipend, housing and full tuition for the master's degree. Following the residency year, MTR graduates commit to teaching for three consecutive years in a Memphis high need school.

Urban Teachers is a four-year alternative teacher certification program that works to close the achievement gap in schools by improving teacher quality and preparing a pipeline of high-performing career teachers that stay. Urban Teachers believes that qualified, highly effective teachers who stay in the classroom can empower students through learning. Urban Teachers recruits diverse, results-oriented individuals and helps them refine and polish their skills to become strong classroom managers by offering a master's from American University School of Education, mentoring and coaching support, and school placement during the crucial first years of teaching. Future teachers will receive a best-in-class preparation, earning a Master of Arts in Teaching degree, with dual-certifications in a content area (elementary education, secondary mathematics, or secondary English language arts) and special education, as well as placement in a full-time teaching position in one of our four partner cities.

The Institute for Recruitment of Teachers (IRT) housed at the Phillips Academy at Andover empowers talented underserved and underrepresented future educators to teach and serve as leaders in American education because diversity is essential to excellence. The IRT offers two distinct programs: the Summer Workshop for college juniors and seniors who intend to pursue graduate study immediately upon completion of their undergraduate degree; and, the Associate Program for college juniors and seniors, recent graduates, and working professionals who want to continue their graduate education in the humanities, social sciences and education.

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BONNER Graduate School PartnerS

The Bonner Foundation has partnerships with graduate schools and organizations that provide special benefits (e.g., partial- and full-tuition scholarships, application fee waivers) to Bonner students, staff, and alumni in the Bonner Network. The following graduate schools have opportunities in the field of K-12 and higher education:

Whether they aspire to become teachers, policymakers, researchers or educational leaders, Brown University’s Department of Education’s graduate students are prepared to lead with impact. The academic programs are designed with America’s greatest educational needs in mind and prepare students to work at all levels of the educational system to increase equity, accessibility and innovation. At the center of our cutting-edge research is a commitment to addressing inequality in schools. Through research and practice, Brown faculty probe issues such as inequalities in schooling access and student success, often leading the national conversation. Brown University’s Department of Education offers two masters programs: Master of Arts in Teaching and Master of Arts in Urban Education Policy. The partnership benefits for Bonner Scholars/Leaders include: 1) Application Fee Waiver ($100) and 2) Partial or full-tuition need-based scholarships.

Peabody College of Education and Human Development at Vanderbilt Unviersity seeks to enhance the human condition, with a particular focus on children’s learning and development. They accomplish this mission, through the preparation of teachers and leaders; through cycles of research, implementation, and refinement; through service to families, schools, and communities; and through external engagement with professionals, leaders, and policy-makers. Peabody’s focus on learning differences has helped to define the college, as has a reputation for empirical rigor in educational neuroscience; child, family, and community development; special education; the learning sciences; and educational leadership and policy. Peabody is devoted to creating opportunity in an increasingly diverse society and to solving large societal problems. Bonner Program participants and alumni who have: (1) successfully met the requirements of their scholarship/service and (2) possess an interest in education policy and research are encouraged to apply for a graduate or professional degree at Peabody College. The school will provide an application fee waiver for all Bonner Scholars and Bonner Leaders, and for those accepted into the program, a partial tuition scholarship that applies to any of their 16 Master’s and 3 Ed.D. programs.

School for International Training offers accredited, experiential programs—including undergraduate study abroad programs on all seven continents through SIT Study Abroad and global and hybrid graduate degrees and certificates through SIT Graduate Institute—that address today’s most critical issues. This partnership will extend the opportunity for Bonner Scholar and Leader Alumni to be eligible for a tuition scholarship towards the graduate degree program(s). SIT will commit to providing the following scholarships for eligible Bonner alumni: 1) SIT will waive the admission application fee, 2) $7,500 scholarship for Part-Time Hybrid degree programs, and 3) $10,000 scholarship for Global Masters degree programs. This partnership will also extend the opportunity for current Bonner Staff (Bonner program/campus staff on campuses and Bonner Foundation staff) to be eligible for a tuition scholarship towards the graduate degree program(s). SIT will commit to providing the following scholarships for eligible Bonner staff: 1) SIT will waive the admission application fee, and 2) $7,500 scholarship for Part-Time Hybrid degree programs

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bonner alumni in the field

Since 1990, the Bonner Program has graduated over 18,000 alumni who are continuing to make a social impact around the world.

Our 20th Anniversary survey (2010) indicates that about 65% of our alumni choose a career in government and non-profit sectors, often tied to their undergraduate service experiences. Nearly 80% still volunteer on a regular basis; over 90% voted in the last election. As Bonners take their service experiences into the professional world, they are leading social change through the lends of a service based education.

Many Alumni remain engaged in the Bonner Network by working for organizations that partner with the Bonner Program. Other Bonner Alumni work for organizations that seek out current Bonner students as interns and future employees. Furthermore, Bonner Alumni remain active by attending Bonner national conferences and sharing their expertise and passion for service.

To connect with Bonner Alumni, join the Bonner Alumni Network LinkedIn Group to find these alumni and many more.