Impact Academy Fellowship for Educator-Preparation Leaders

Location: Austin, TX, US

Program Description

The Impact Academy is a year-long fellowship and career-long network that convenes outstanding deans and directors of educator-preparation programs and provides them with support and resources to foster real and lasting change within their programs.

Focus Areas

• Transformative leadership in educator preparation
• Instructional quality and pedagogy in teacher preparation
• Professional and personal growth for education leaders
• Organizational change and improvement within educator-preparation programs

Program Components

Fellows engage in a rich, cohort-based experience including:

• In-person summer session planned for June 2026 (location TBD)
• Monthly virtual learning sessions throughout the academic year
• One-day in-person closing session in 2027
• Multiple 1:1 coaching sessions with a veteran dean
• In-person and virtual learning sessions designed to build shared understanding of leadership and organizational change theory
• Opportunities to analyze case studies written by and for Impact Academy fellows
• Peer consultancies to address field-facing challenges in real time

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants should:

• Be, or will be, a dean or director of an educator-preparation program during the 2026-27 academic year
• Have a strong interest in facilitating professional and personal growth in themselves and those they lead
• Value learning alongside others in community
• Prioritize instructional quality and pedagogy in the preparation of future teachers
• Seek to ensure stronger outcomes for teacher-candidates and the students they serve
• Can commit to participating in all Impact Academy activities over the 2026-27 academic year
• Want to engage in an alumni network of nearly 200 leaders actively collaborating and sharing best practices

Program Statistics

• 175 Impact Academy fellows across 10 cohorts
• 74,500 total future teachers in institutions led by fellows
• 45 U.S. states reached
• Fellows represent public, private, and non-traditional educator-preparation programs
• 40 U.S. states represented among current and past fellows

Cost

Fellowship Fee: $6,495 (includes all materials, learning sessions, and at least four 1:1 coaching sessions)
Financial Assistance: Available

Post-Fellowship Opportunity

Upon completing the Impact Academy fellowship, all leaders are invited to join the Leadership Collaborative, an alumni network offering:

• Quarterly learning calls focused on critical and timely topics (AI, policy and advocacy, candidate mental health, instructional improvement)
• Annual Leadership Collaborative convening bringing leaders together in-person to work on problems of practice
• Newsletters and working groups designed to facilitate ongoing learning and collaboration
• Nearly 200 leaders actively collaborating and sharing best practices

Geographic Scope

DFI is committed to supporting communities of fellows who reflect the broad geographic and institutional contexts in which aspiring teachers are being prepared.

Contact Information

• Phone: (512) 596-5417
• Address: 2028 E. Ben White Blvd #240-5417, Austin, TX 78741
• Website: deansforimpact.org

Background

DFI has supported 175 educator-preparation leaders through the Impact Academy fellowship over 10 years.

Application Process

Application Status: The application for the 2026-27 fellowship has closed (deadline was February 27, 2026).

For Future Cohorts: If you're interested in joining a future cohort, fill out the interest form on the DFI website.

Application Focus

The application is grounded in an understanding that effective leaders possess:

• A firm sense of their values, principles and priorities
• Understanding of what drives them
• Understanding of what it takes to fulfill their role as leaders

Required Materials and Questions

Key Application Question:

• "If you were to succeed as a leader in educator preparation, what would you want to be true?"

This reflective question begins the exploration of:

• Who applicants are
• What drives them
• What it takes to fulfill their role as leaders

Selection Process

During the fellowship year, fellows:

1. Identify a leadership challenge they wish to address
2. Plan and enact the change they hope to see

More than 100 current fellows and alumni have engaged in transformative work through their Impact Academy experience.