New York City School Chancellor Joel Klein welcomed 1,900 teaching fellow graduates trained to fill subject areas that lack teachers.

Many of the graduates left private sector careers to pursue teaching through the fellowship program, which pays for two-thirds of each fellow?s master?s degrees. This year, more than 17,000 applicants applied to the program. Upon graduation, most will teach hard to fill subject areas like math and special education.

The fellows earn more than $41,000 a year, but must agree to placement in any school in the city. Fellows also forgo a major teacher perk--summer vacation--to take classes towards a master?s degree.

Each year more fellows enter schools. So far, Department of Education statistics show more than 7,500 fellows currently teach in NYC schools.