InspirED Global Fellowship

S E E K I N G

Curious, open-minded, and reflective education professionals who are eager to solve complex problems through deepening their knowledge of high performing education systems. Fellows will create a link between policy and practice to bridge the gap between our state’s current reality and envisioned success.

You are currently a Nevada K-12 public educator, site administrator, district central office administrator/state department administrator.
You believe a significant factor in improving student outcomes are adult actions; you believe that effective educator-driven collaboration that successfully challenges assumptions and shift mindsets is an essential element for achieving success.
You are excited to embrace design thinking, observing contexts and interviewing others to better understand success and opportunities within systems to collaborate for change.

F O C U S

To bring a global lens to local education professionals to inspire new ways of seeing ourselves and our system, identifying opportunities for action. The inaugural cohort will travel to Singapore in July 2020.

O U T C O M E S

Fellows will...

engage in applied research, prototyping shifts in practice and policy using a design thinking framework, to define and redefine essential elements for Nevada student and educator success.
participate in an 8-10 day immersion inside Singapore’s education system.
document learning in a “white paper” and three-minute thesis presentation at a community showcase with statewide education stakeholders.
become charter members of the NV Succeeds Educator Project that will become a hub for educators to collaborate around professional challenges through design and make actionable recommendations on policy and practice.

R A T I O N A L E

According to John Hattie’s research, Collective Teacher Efficacy is the single most influential factor on student achievement. By creating a space inside this fellowship for practicing educators to both appreciate success and address common barriers in our work, we believe tangible insights and action steps to design the future of a Nevada education system that empowers educators and learners is possible.

At the same time, the United States has remained stagnant in international rankings (PISA) over the last 30 years. Education systems like Singapore are improving faster than the US. By many forecasts, Southern Nevada’s demographics today are indicative of the population of the United States 40 years from now. Nevada has an opportunity and obligation to ensure we are leading the way in defining and redefining success, promoting adult actions that support diverse student needs. Through intentional collaborative inquiry, we believe those in the field can lead the way for positive change.

The best education systems support educators as expert professionals. They do this by having rigorous standards of entry into the profession, clear career pathways for professionals to ensure the attraction to and advancement within the field, and by creating opportunities for professional collaboration and ongoing learning to meet student needs. This fellowship will invite opportunities to learn about, experience, and then reflect on and share what this can look like in a Nevada context.

D E S C R I P T I O N

The InspirED Global Fellowship employs a design thinking framework, empowering educators as designers of change. Fellows will explore professional challenges and successes as ethnographers of the Nevada and Singapore systems, define problems, brainstorm, build, and test solutions, and reflect on and share what they learn. A design thinking lens invites educators to engage in applied research; the habits of mind and strategies are applicable to classroom discourse and lesson design, collaboration meetings, coaching, leading, and policy development. Since design thinking also values cross-functional teams, this cohort of educators will ideally represent a variety of scopes of practice and disciplines to ensure diverse viewpoints inform our systemic conversations. Maintaining a bias towards action is a significant element of design thinking, so the fellowship balances deep inquiry with incremental, fast action steps to bring ideas to life. Meaningful change is specific, measurable, and happens where it matters most. Design thinking allows us to take a grass tops and grass roots approach to understanding and enacting positive change.

T I M E L I N E

The fellowship experience runs April-November 2020. Meaningful reading, independent and collaborative work will occur between sessions.
There will be two evening cohort meetings in Las Vegas during Spring 2020: April 30 and May 28, accompanied by 1-2 short virtual meetings.
There will be three day-long cohort meetings in Las Vegas during Summer 2020: June 3, 4, and 5.
Singapore Immersion dates are tentatively July 17-26, 2020.
Approximately six evening cohort meetings will occur in Fall 2020, with the culminating showcase tentatively scheduled for the evening of November 19.

A P P L I C A T I O N

Apply here! Due March 6th!

For questions, contact Jeanine Collins, Executive Director, at jeanine@nevadasucceeds.org or (702) 306-4871.

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