"I'm passionate about solving a problem at my school. Where can I get support?"
Create the Change You Want to See.
Inequity? Teacher burnout? Lack of STEM pathways? Passionate educators like you have special insight into how we might solve stubborn problems in education.
So what problem do you want to solve? Would you like support to help bring your ideas to life? And what if you could learn career-building leadership and innovation skills along the way?
Intrigued? Then maybe the ImpactLab Fellowship is right for you.
ImpactLab supports K12 educators - teachers, administrators and other staff - who are passionate about solving a problem in their school community, have invested time thinking on how to get it done and are motivated to build this new program, process, policy or whatever the solution may be.
We believe real change happens when motivated people like you are empowered with the knowledge, skills and support to turn good ideas into solutions much like how an entrepreneur turns an idea into a business. One key difference: instead of dollars you create impact. And so our mission at ImpactLab is simple: to help you be successful and make an expanded impact in your school community.
Video: ImpactLab Fellow Luci Cambria talks about her project and her experience in the program.
The ImpactLab Fellowship
Empowering, individualized, action-oriented Professional Development.
The ImpactLab Fellowship helps passionate educators (teachers, administrators, staff) turn an idea for change into a full-fledged “solution” by providing community, coaching and key innovation and leadership concepts. Over the span of ten months (September through June) our Fellows:
LEARN
Learn the “how-to” of turning an idea into a solution through problem-solving, design and leadership skills.
BUILD
Build and launch your “solution” at your school with the support of your coach and peers. Produce a "How-to Kit" (see example) to share it with educators everywhere.
CONNECT
Connect with innovative educators from across the US. Develop lasting relationships and expand your professional network.
"The ImpactLab Fellowship allows for a paradigm shift. Teachers can now lead the change."
Lucas Elliott
ImpactLab Fellowship '17
"I have some questions."
We have some answers! Also, feel free to reach out with any additional questions at fellowship@impactlab.us
What's the timeline?
The Fellowship is currently on hold as we explore some cool new opportunities. Stand by!
How is the program structured?
The ImpactLab Fellowship is fast-paced with new content every two weeks, October through June. Fellows start building their solutions right away and content is dripped in as it becomes relevant in the context of this work.
The curriculum is efficiently packaged and everything ImpactLab asks you to do is timely and targeted. Each two-week "sprint" consists of new learning(s), coaching, reflection and peer interaction.
Learning groups are small and bi-weekly coaching sessions (held online) are led by an experienced ImpactLab coach. Start times are somewhere from 5pm to 8pm in your time zone.
Formal and informal support is ongoing in our digital community where you will interact not only with peers, but also coaches, guest mentors and program alumni.
“My professional network has grown greatly due to the experience of the fellowship.”
- Fellowship Alumni
Is this program a good fit for me and visa versa?
The ImpactLab Fellowship is designed for full-time K-12 teachers and administrators with the following traits:
What kind of projects do you support? What are some examples?
We support educators who are driven to solve a problem in their school community through a project (or “solution”) that is both sustainable and replicable. Projects may take many forms depending on the problem a Fellow is working to solve. Some examples:
The strongest applicants will have ideas for solutions that are:
What does a finished project look like?
That depends on what type of project the Fellow created - a technology tool, an after-school program, a school policy or process. However, all Fellow projects culminate in a "How-to Kit" - detailed instructions, shared with the world, enabling anyone, anywhere to replicate the Fellow's project. Here's an example.
What’s the time commitment?
For the program itself (coaching sessions, content learning, preparation, reflective writing, and optional elements like mentor sessions) the time commitment is no more than 2 hours per week. That doesn’t include time spent on building your project, which will vary greatly from project to project.
“The new language of entrepreneurship helped me view my work as not just impactful in the classroom, but in the larger context of my own professional development.”
- Fellowship Alumni
Where and when do the coaching sessions happen?
Online and in the early evenings.
School Buy-In: Do I need the OK from school administrators in order to participate?
The ImpactLab Fellowship is all about building solutions in your current school community. We prefer applicants to have the support of one or more school leaders. If you are the school leader then you're all set :)
We're in a holding pattern as we pursue some new ways to make a bigger impact. Add your email below to keep in touch.
ImpactLab is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization
info@impactlab.us
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