The IRT application is now open for scholars wishing to begin a graduate program in the fall of 2027.
The application will close on March 1, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. EST – please note that no extensions will be granted.
As our IRT Cohort submits their final applications and awaits responses from graduate programs, please join me in pausing and celebrating this past year’s Statement of Purpose Advisor’s (SOPA’s), the incredible mentors who walked alongside our aspiring scholars through this transformative journey.
Your impact shows up in every reflection since our first advising meetings. Scholars recognized that their research holds value even while in progress, that their community work carries equal weight to institutional opportunities, and that their varied experiences aren’t fragmented but intentional. You helped them honor strengths they’d overlooked and reclaim narratives about experiences they’d been taught to diminish.
Continue reading “A Note of Gratitude to Our SOP Advisors”Leislie Godo-Solo, IRT ’91 and the IRT staff would like to send heart felt gratitude to the 27 alumni who participated in 10 Alumni Panels this advising season. Your time and expertise are greatly appreciated, and your encouragement of the next cohort of educators is unwavering. Please know that your continued support of IRT as an Alumni Panelist is vital to future cohorts and the organization! Again, a million thanks!
Continue reading “Thank you Alumni Panelists!”Once IRT, always IRT.
As alumni of the Institute for Recruitment of Teachers, you know firsthand the power of community, mentorship, and shared commitment to educational equity. IRT is more than its programming, it’s a lifelong network of educators, scholars, and leaders who lift one another as we move forward in our careers.
Each summer, a new cohort of IRT Scholars arrives inspired, ambitious, and eager to learn from those who have walked this path before them. That’s where you come in.
We warmly invite IRT alumni to get involved as Summer Workshop Faculty and/or Statement of Purpose Advisors. These roles offer meaningful opportunities to reconnect with IRT, share your expertise, and make a tangible difference in the graduate journeys of emerging scholars. Whether you’re facilitating a workshop, offering thoughtful feedback on statements of purpose, or sharing lessons from your own academic and professional path. Your perspective matters! Serving in either role is also a chance to reflect, recharge, and reengage with the mission that brought us together. Many alumni have shared that returning to IRT renews their sense of purpose while strengthening the cycle of mentorship that defines our community.
Continue reading “Stay Connected. Pay It Forward. Get Involved with IRT.”IRT Alumni Come Together and Help Current Scholars During Critical Times
The IRT extended a warm welcome to the new IRT 2025 Cohort into its vibrant and dynamic community during the July Summer Workshop. The Summer Workshop is a major component of the IRT program, inspiring scholars to become future educators that PK-12 through higher education urgently needs. This year, the number of IRT alumni who came back to lend their experiences and insights during these critical times was phenomenal.
Heather Moore Roberson, IRT ’07 & ‘10, is a Co-Curriculum Coordinator for the workshop and hosted the “Chalk Talks”, a podcast-style series that is always engaging and insightful. The “Chalk Talks” delve into the complexities and nuances of graduate school life in today’s context. These sessions feature alumni and other higher education professionals. They share their research agendas, offer advice for navigating graduate school and the Academy, and discuss other relevant topics. The “Chalk Talks” are included in a content hub available to all current scholars as an integral resource to use as their own on-demand learning library; the topics and IRT Alumni speakers are featured below.
Continue reading ““Chalk Talks” Series”
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