The U.S. Department of Education’s School Ambassador Fellowship application window for the 2021-2022 cohort is now open! Applications are being accepted through Monday, January 11, 2021!

The School Ambassador Fellowship is designed to improve educational outcomes for students by leveraging the expertise of school-based practitioners in the creation, dissemination, and evaluation of national education policy. Founded on the principles of partnership, collaboration and cooperation with school-based educators, the Fellowship seeks to:

  • Create a community of teachers, administrators, counselors, psychologists, social workers, and other school staff members who share their expertise with one another and collaborate with Department of Education leaders on issues important to students and educators nationwide.
  • Involve practicing educators in developing policies that holistically affect learning environments.
  • Highlight practitioners’ voices and expand educators’ critical leadership at the local, state, and national levels.

The School Ambassador Fellowship offers two separate year-long tracks: full-time and part-time. The full-time appointment is based at the Department of Education Headquarters in Washington, DC; and the part-time fellowship enables educators to collaborate with the Department while maintaining their regular school responsibilities in their home communities.

To be eligible for the School Ambassador Fellowship program, participants must:

  • Be a U.S. Citizen or permanent resident.
  • Currently be a teacher, administrator, counselor, social worker, or other school staff member (and anticipate being employed in this role during the 2021 – 2022 school year).
  • Be employed by a traditional public, charter, private, virtual, military (DoDEA), or tribal (BIE) school that serves any grade, preschool through twelfth.
  • Have at least five years of experience in his/her role, up to and including the current school year.
  • Have daily interaction with students and/or educators in his/her school/district role.

Ideal candidates for this program are educators from public, charter, independent, magnet, parochial schools, etc. who have made significant contributions to student learning and culture, can effectively communicate to a variety of internal and external education stakeholders, and can promote excellence in education through their collaboration and leadership capabilities.

The deadline to apply for the 2021 – 2022 School Ambassador Fellowship is Monday, January 11, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern. Program and application submission information can be found at the School Ambassador Fellowship Website.

How do local schools and districts benefit from having a School Ambassador Fellow represented at the Department of Education?

  • Fellows provide a direct line of contact and communication between the Department and their local school communities.
  • Fellows have the opportunity to elevate pressing education challenges faced by the students that they serve.
  • Fellows can build, foster, and facilitate relationships between their local educational communities and the Department’s nationwide network of educational organizations.
  • Fellows will complete a capstone project that are designed to solve for complex challenges that will directly impact students, families, and educators.