Hilbania Papazahariou, a Yale Teaching Fellow, has been hired as a special education teacher at Family Academy of Multilingual Exploration (FAME) in New Haven, Connecticut. Papazahariou completed a year-long teaching residency at Clinton Avenue School and an accelerated Master of Arts in Teaching program at Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU).
Yale Teaching Fellowship
Papazahariou is one of two dozen participants in the inaugural cohort of the Yale Teaching Fellowship, a program funded by Yale University to recruit and certify new teachers in the district’s highest shortage areas. The program has allocated $10 million to recruit four cohorts of 100 educators with master’s degrees to New Haven Public Schools (NHPS).
During her residency, Papazahariou was matched with Elena Pradith, a K-2 special education resource teacher and 23-year teaching veteran at Clinton Avenue School. Pradith served as Papazahariou’s mentor, and the two learned from each other throughout the year. Papazahariou said her experience at Clinton Avenue School helped inform her decision to teach at FAME, where she felt a sense of community and support.
Papazahariou’s hiring is part of NHPS’s effort to address teacher shortages in the district. As of May, 16 Yale Teaching fellows have been officially hired by NHPS for the 2026-27 school year, with others still engaged in job interviews.
Original reporting: New Haven Independent — read the source article.
