The BES Fellowship

The BES Fellowship is one- or two-years of training followed by three years of dedicated post-authorization support to ensure that the school starts strong and sustains excellence over time.

BUILD TRACK

Fellows found and lead a fresh-start public charter school in response to community needs and grounded in learnings from excellent schools. Fellows benefit from one training year to write and submit a complete high quality charter application as well as identify and prepare a diverse, high capacity, and mission aligned founding team and governing board. The Build Fellowship is currently available in Arizona, Georgia (outside Metro Atlanta), Ohio, and Tennessee. If you are interested in this track and located in a different region, we invite you to submit an interest form.

Within the Build Track, some Fellows are identified as Character & Equity Fellows. These Fellows found a school with character and equity at the core of its model, in addition to other locally responsive elements. Fellows engage in additional opportunities such as communities of practice and conferences to center character and equity in their school models. Currently, all Fellowship spaces in Arizona are reserved for Character and Equity Fellows.

COMMUNITY CO-DESIGN TRACK

Over the course of two years, Fellows design and prepare to lead a fresh-start public charter school that has been co-designed alongside a community co-design team. The first year allows Fellows to develop a co-design team of 7-10 individuals to help seek out and incorporate community input into the design of the new school. The second year allows Fellows to write and submit a complete high quality charter application as well as identify and prepare a diverse, high capacity, and mission aligned founding team and governing board. The Community Co-Design Fellowship is currently available in Metro Atlanta. If you are interested in this track and located in a different region, we invite you to submit an interest form.

GROWTH TRACK

If you are a school founder who is interested in support to replicate or expand an existing school, reach out to us at partners@bes.org to learn more.

While this track is not open for candidates to directly apply to, BES develops partnerships with schools or networks planning to grow and then works to identify and/or support a Fellow to lead these efforts.

We are currently accepting applications for the 2025 BES Fellowship in the following regions:

• Alabama
• Arizona
• Georgia (outside of Atlanta)
• Metro Atlanta
• Ohio
• Tennessee

Fellowship placements in selected regions are made possible by local funding and support from our various regional partners, with an additional 1-2 placements per year made possible through national funding that can be flexibly allocated to regions with demonstrated community need. If you are interested in the Fellowship and located outside of the regions listed above, we invite you to complete an interest form.

The following benefits are provided to Build Track Fellows for one full year, beginning in August and going through July of the following year. Community Co-Design Fellows receive two years of support, beginning in August and ending in July two years later.

• $100,000 grant to cover living expenses
• Healthcare stipend
• Travel and accommodations for training and during school study travel
• Technology support
• Reimbursement for up to $5,000 in moving expenses
• Reimbursements for school design expenses, design team expenses, or professional development (amount dependent on track)
• The opportunity to apply for BES start-up fund awards and/or those provided exclusively to Fellows by our partners

The Fellowship selection process is extremely rigorous, designed to truly understand who you are as a leader and your vision for a high-achieving, locally responsive school.

To be considered for the BES Fellowship, all applicants must have at least five years of full-time professional experience, including at least two years working in K-12 education and at least two years of formal experience leading and managing adults. All successful candidates will also be aligned with BES’s beliefs about equitable and anti-racist schools. In addition to these minimum requirements, the following competencies are assessed during the selection process:

1) ABILITY TO LEAD, MANAGE, AND MOTIVATE
BES believes that an excellent leader builds, equips, and inspires a diverse, mission-driven team. BES Fellows are strong communicators and entrepreneurial thinkers who have a track record of leading teams towards ambitious results for all students. They do this through strong adult management and relationship-building practices that enable them to navigate complex political landscapes and work collaboratively with stakeholders to actualize their vision in service of students and communities.

2) SELF AWARENESS AND HUMILITY
BES believes that excellent leaders approach every challenge as an opportunity to learn. BES Fellows persevere through challenges and are eager to take, give, and implement feedback with humility and resilience. They are committed to personal and professional development for themselves and their team.

3) COMMITMENT TO COMMUNITY
BES believes that an excellent school leader demonstrates knowledge of and respect for the communities they serve. BES Fellows actively seek out and incorporate community input into the school’s design and operation, implementing practices that reflect and respond to community need. They are not only invested in ongoing listening and engagement to found a locally responsive school, but demonstrate a long-term personal and professional investment in the success and sustainability of the school and its surrounding community.

4) DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION IN ACTION
BES believes that an excellent leader demonstrates an ongoing commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. BES Fellows are dedicated to founding and leading schools that are actively anti-racist spaces and work to ensure equitable and robust support for learners of all backgrounds, needs, and abilities. They have a history of working equitably across lines of difference among families and staff to achieve common goals.

5) COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE FOR ALL STUDENTS
BES believes that excellent leaders have a clear vision for the school they hope to found. Their vision is grounded in the belief that all students can, must, and will achieve at high levels, if held to high expectations and provided with the academic and social supports to master rigorous, culturally relevant content. BES Fellows hold themselves and their team accountable for academic and non-academic results in order to prepare students for success in college, career, and life.

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis until all spots are filled. Applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible in order to secure limited spots in our available regions. We encourage you to connect with our team if you have questions about the Fellowship or selection process before you apply.

Get a quick introductory overview of the BES Fellowship and application process.

• Watch: 6 min video Walkthrough 
• Read: Presentation Slide Deck 

Attend an upcoming webinar where you can meet our team and learn more about the Fellowship experience.

• February 27: Shaping Arizona’s Future
• March 12: Lead the Future of Education in Tennessee
• March. 28: Speed Networking – Hackathon Edition

Already attended or watched a webinar or info session, but still have questions? Perhaps, you aren’t ready to apply, but want to stay in touch? Below are next steps on how you can reach out and stay up-to-date!

• Schedule a Q&A call
• Subscribe to our Email List