Earthwatch’s Teach Earth Fellowship offers a rare and transformative opportunity for K-12 educators of any subject to work side by side with leading environmental scientists on real-world research expeditions.
Donor Name: Earthwatch
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Fellowship
Deadline: 01/12/2026
Size of the Grant: Not Available
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
Teach Earth is open to K–12 teachers of all disciplines and is unique among professional development opportunities in three key ways:
- Depth of Experience
- Teach Earth fellows gain confidence and a first-hand understanding of science as they conduct hands-on research in the field. Each project has been designed by a PhD-level scientist, who also leads lectures, trains teachers on data collection techniques, and shows how those data are used to answer hypothesis-driven problems. Teachers gain more in-depth access to scientists than through any other program, spending 7 to 14 days in the field together.
- Inspiration
- An Earthwatch expedition takes educators away from their everyday lives, out of their comfort zones, and into the natural world—where they not only bear witness to the impacts humans have on the environment but can take meaningful steps toward saving threatened species and habitats. Humbled and inspired by nature and each other, Teach Earth fellows return to their communities with a renewed sense of purpose and possibility.
- Resources
- All participants on a Teach Earth expedition are educators—peers who share your passions and frustrations and who can be a valuable support network throughout your career. Each team also has a Teach Earth lead fellow who leads workshops and helps teachers translate their field experiences into lesson plans they can use in their schools and communities. After the expedition, fellows join growing network spanning 50 years of Earthwatch educator alums, with special access to educator alum community updates and teaching resources.
Criteria
Teach Earth Qualifications
- Current K–12 classroom teacher in the United States
- Available to travel for 7–14 days
- Passion for education
- Interest in environmental issues or how scientific research is conducted
- Desire to improve environmental or science education
- Enthusiasm for collaborating with a team of teachers from diverse backgrounds and expertise
- Commitment to engaging your students and community inside and outside the classroom
Teach Earth Lead Fellow Qualifications
In addition to all the above qualifications, Lead Fellow qualifications also include:
- Enthusiasm to lead a team of other K–12 grade teachers from diverse backgrounds and expertise.
- Past experience participating on an Earthwatch expedition.
- Experience successfully translating past Earthwatch expedition experience(s) into impactful classroom curriculum.
- Commitment during the Teach Earth expedition to organize a team blog and run five workshops on how to translate an Earthwatch experience back to the classroom and community (workshop curriculum and training provided in advance by Earthwatch).
For more information, visit Earthwatch.
