Education Information Exchange

State Education Agency Fellowship

A learning community on a mission to accelerate new ways for leaders of State Education Agencies (SEAs) to champion innovations that create durable change for public school districts schools.

Enabling innovation

Fundamentally, we believe that SEAs should act strategically and proactively to create the conditions for meaningful transformation and improvement. This is an opportunity for state education leaders who are ready to redesign school systems from the top down.

Exchange for Change

Program Structure

Over the course of two years, Fellows will be exposed to some of the most innovative efforts in the country, receive coaching and mentorship from experienced education leaders, and work with others in their own state agency to pilot new projects and/or accelerate promising ones.

Our goal is for each Fellow to pilot or accelerate policies that enable innovative conditions in their state. State education agencies will catalyze public schools in their state to design best-in-class K-12 programs that drive student outcomes in their state. 

Take action to create measurable outcomes for students state-wide.

Fellowship Focus

  • Incentivizing Innovative School Models

    Learn how to build the structures and enabling conditions that allow public schools to apply innovative models that are adaptive to student and community needs.

  • Catalyzing Postsecondary Success

    Blur the lines between K-12, postsecondary and the workforce, creating pathways to postsecondary careers that provide family-sustaining wages and drive economic growth in your state.

  • Sustaining Student Outcomes

    We know that you'll have other priorities that interest you. We'll help you set and achieve ambitious goals that drive K-12 student progress in your context and build the strategies needed to sustain them overtime.

Program Details

Phase I

School Year 2025-2026

Outcomes Driven Design

Cohort launch to commence learning exchange

  • In addition to learning from peer EIE Fellows participants will receive professional will learn from each other and experts in the field. Development focus: 

    • Action Readiness Assessment 

    • Incentives and identificatation- prioritize new ways to incentivize

    • Build to sustain- Plan integrated supports that enable traditional school systems to launch innovative and durable district schools in their own states

Schedule

  • During the first year, Fellows will meet 3x/year

    • 2 in person sessions 1 virtual

    • Formal 1-1 coaching and check-ins in between sessions

Phase II

Program Roll-out

Design Your Team

  • Identify colleagues to ride along with them in the Fellowship. This work cannot be executed in isolation, so identifying key stakeholders to engage will be critical to your outcomes.

  • After assessing readiness and approaches in Year 1, Fellows will work to launch a program or policy in Year 2 that has the potential to improve student outcomes at scale.

Schedule

  • At least 1 in person cohort summit

  • Regular 1-1 checks ins and coaching to address specific challenges along the way 

Phase III

Summer 2027

Closing Capstone

Showcase your experience and celebrate growth with cohort Fellows and other field experts.

Schedule

  • Showcase date to be announced

School Year 2026-2027

Get Application Support

Have questions about the application or program requirements? We’re here to help. Send us a note and we’ll be in touch to help you put your best foot forward on you EIE Fellowship application