Leadership Training
From Passion to Purpose
Leadership ISD trains passionate community and school leaders to understand the issues, advocate for better policies and practices, hold school boards accountable, and engage their neighbors, coworkers, and friends in this vital movement. Student outcomes do not change until adult behaviors change, so through our Civic Voices Fellowship and other leadership training events, we help spark and sustain transformation led by caring adults with the collective power to effectively influence our education system.
Why It Matters
An informed, engaged electorate is essential to creating equity in our public schools. From our beginnings in 2011, Leadership ISD has focused on harnessing the power of community leaders from every sector of society in order to promote and elevate conversations about public education in every pocket of our communities. Knowledge and perspective have the ability to not only shift mindsets but drive transformation. So, we invest heavily in individuals who are ready to accept personal responsibility, make sacrifices, and take action rooted in collective hope for the future of all students.
“The Fellowship literally woke me up...I didn’t realize how much more I could do. The knowledge and confidence I gained from Leadership ISD lit the fire under me to work towards policies that will benefit kids instead of adults.”
— Dolores Sosa-Green, CEO of Incarnation House
Civic Voices Fellowship
We train leaders to become change-makers in public education.
Our Civic Voices Fellowship equips education advocates and aspiring school board trustees with the knowledge, mindsets, networks, and experiential skills needed to create equitable and sustainable improvement in their school districts. Our fellows:
Develop a deep understanding of how leadership, policies, practices, and resource allocations affect public education in Texas.
Analyze quantitative and qualitative data to explore opportunity and achievement gaps that exist along the lines of race, language, and SES.
Discover how equitable practices can be utilized to dismantle historic inequities and improve student outcomes.
Understand high-functioning school board governance and its critical impact on improving student outcomes and experience.
Collaborate on an action project that will make a meaningful, systemic impact in their community.
Our Fellowship Programs offer community members a deep dive into the work of education governance, equity, and policy, and an understanding of their role in creating change as advocates and leaders. Fellows spend ten months together, hearing from practitioners and experts, sharing diverse experiences, examining inequities related to race, socioeconomic status, language, and ability, learning advocacy tactics, and gaining an understanding of the role of effective governance and policy. Outside of monthly sessions, Fellows support schools, advocate for system changes, increase voter turn-out, organize stakeholders, and work with their local school boards.
Apply for our Fellowship
We are currently accepting applications for our 2024-2025 cohorts in Dallas and Tarrant Counties through May 1; please follow the large blue link above to learn more, view session dates, and apply today! Questions? Email info@leadershipisd.org for more information and/or to be added to our mailing list.
Other Leadership Training Events
In addition to our Civic Voices Fellowship, Leadership ISD offers periodic community events which are designed to help community leaders further their understanding of the educational landscape, racial equity issues, and current topics affecting student outcomes and student experience. We encourage you to sign up for our Newsletter to learn more about opportunities as they come along.
