EngageCorps VISTA prison education coordinator, New Jersey

As a Year 1 VISTA, the Prison Education Coordinator will assist PGP in implementing programming that works to break the cycle of poverty our population is vulnerable to by strengthening PGP tutoring programs in New Jersey area jails, prisons and community-based programs. They will lead volunteer recruitment, ensuring we always have a pool of tutors to serve a higher number of students. The VISTA will help to build the capacity of our region by establishing a presence at our high education partners in New Jersey to ensure active and targeted recruitment, placement and support. Volunteer training and development is an especially critical aspect to the position. Tutors complete 10+ hours of quality training prior to stepping foot in a facility or interacting with a student. Training focuses on the context and practice of tutoring, including discussions about the carceral state, reentry, tutoring strategies, ethical volunteerism, trauma-informed practice, and intentional engagement.

how to apply

Submit an application via AmeriCorps by August 29, 2025 to be considered.

College Bridge instructors

The Petey Greene Program (PGP) is seeking volunteer writing and math instructors for our College Bridge Program in New Jersey, DC, New York, and Pennsylvania (Philadelphia and Pittsburgh). This program, offered in partnership with local colleges and universities, helps incarcerated learners develop the critical thinking, writing, reading, and math skills that are necessary to pursue employment and post-secondary education, while fostering a sense of educational self-efficacy and self-confidence that will support them in these pursuits. 

PGP is the largest provider of academic tutoring and academic support services for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated learners. We piloted the College Bridge Writing Program at the DC Jail in 2020, and we currently offer college readiness programs in Washington, DC, New Jersey and Massachusetts.

Desired Qualifications:

  • MA or Ph.D. in relevant field (STEM for math instructors and humanities for writing instructors)

  • Experience teaching undergraduate- or AP-level courses

Responsibilities:

  • Teach weekly 90-minute classes (courses will be taught by teams of 2 instructors. Co-instructors may choose to teach all classes together or to take turns)

  • Design course syllabus in collaboration with PGP Director of Program Development, adapting the syllabi used in previous courses.  

  • Provide regular feedback on student assignments

  • Participate in biweekly meetings with teaching team and PGP staff 

  • Instructors may have to apply for background clearance and attend a facility custody training. 

To apply, please complete our online application form by March 31 for the summer semester and by June 30 for the fall semester. For more information, please contact Chiara Benetollo, Executive Director of the Center for Educational Justice (cbenetollo@peteygreene.org).

The Petey Greene Program is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in its personnel decisions based on race, ancestry, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital/domestic partner status, religion, age, disability status, veteran status, or former incarceration status.

We are committed to ongoing learning and reflection and we are continuously working to ensure that the Petey Greene Program is welcoming and supportive of staff members of all identities, especially system-impacted people, people of color, and LGBTQIA+ people. We also believe that this work should be led by system-impacted people, whose perspectives and direct knowledge of the problems are necessary to achieving freedom and educational justice.

The PGP defines system-impacted as a person who by their own experience, family experience, school experiences, and/or communal experiences has previous interaction or involvement with and who is legally, economically, familially, or psychologically affected by the criminal legal system. Interaction or involvement with the criminal legal system includes arrest and/or detainment, appearance in criminal courts, incarceration, immigrant detention, juvenile detention, parole, and/or probation.