Eligibility
To be eligible for the School Ambassador Fellowship program, participants must:
- Be a US Citizen or Permanent Resident.
- Currently be a teacher, principal or other school staff member (and anticipate being employed in this role during the next school year).
- 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 current role as a teacher, principal or other school staff member, up to and including the current school year.
- Have daily meaningful interaction with students and educators in a school setting in his/her school role.
Desirable applicants have:
- A history of demonstrable and meaningful impact on student outcomes and school success.
- A record of leadership in the school and community settings.
- Strong written and oral communication skills.
- Experience with outreach activities and project management skills.
- Relevant insights from school and classroom experiences to federal education policy, programs and initiatives.
- Support from school, community and other educational leaders.
Application Components
A complete application includes:
- Verification of program eligibility requirements
- A written personal statement
- A one-page, written abstract for your Capstone project if selected to be a 2021-2022 Fellow
- Two recommender forms
- A current resume and cover letter
How Applications Are Evaluated
All applications are screened and reviewed by teams of current and alumni Fellows and Department staff members. The most highly-rated applicants may be asked to participate in virtual and potentially in-person interview processes. All applicants will be notified about their progress in the Fellowship application and selection process. All materials within the application are peer-reviewed and will be assessed against the key qualities we seek in School Ambassador Fellows. These key qualities include:
- Demonstrable Contributions to Student Learning
the extent to which the candidate has had demonstrable and meaningful impact on student achievement and school success;
- Effective Leadership Skills
the extent to which the candidate brings a record of effective leadership and teamwork amongst peers and other key stakeholders;
- Strong Communication Skills
the extent to which the candidate demonstrates the written and oral communication skills required to serve as a Fellow;
- Other Applicable Skills and Experience
the extent to which the candidate demonstrates experience with the type of roles Fellows are asked to play, including project management skills;
- Relevant Interests and Expertise
the extent to which the candidate can provide applicable insights from school and district experiences to the Department’s education policy, programs, and initiatives; and
- School System Support
the extent to which the candidate has demonstrable support from their school and district leaders for program participation.
Application Resources
- Privacy Policy How we protect & why we ask for personal data
Applications for the 2021-2022 cohort of the School Ambassador Fellowship are being accepted beginning 12:00am EST on October 12, 2020 until 11:59pm EST January 11, 2020.
In order to be considered for the 2021-2022 School Ambassador Fellowship cohort, you must use the online system to submit a complete application. Any materials submitted by U.S. mail or email will not be reviewed.
Notice of Appropriate Use
You are accessing a U.S. Government computer system, which may be accessed and used only for authorized Government business by authorized personnel. Unauthorized access or use of this computer system may subject violators to criminal, civil, and/or administrative action.
All information on this computer system may be intercepted, recorded, read, copied, and disclosed by and to authorized personnel for official purposes, including criminal investigations. Such information includes sensitive data encrypted to comply with confidentiality and privacy requirements. Access or use of this computer system by any person, whether authorized or unauthorized, constitutes consent to these terms.
