advocacy

Application Process

The Community Leaders Fellowship empowers school district teams, including administrators, teachers, parents, and community leaders, to strengthen public education leadership in their hometowns. All Texas school districts are eligible to apply for this inaugural cohort, which brings together diverse stakeholders to shape the future of their local districts.

Applications open on Wednesday, October 8, 2025.
Early Bird deadline is December 1, 2025; final deadline for consideration is January 5, 2026.
Virtual interviews will be scheduled with up to 20 school districts as needed.
Cohort offers will be made by Monday, January 12, 2026.

Selection Process

When applying to the Fellowship, any teams accepted into the Community Leaders Fellowship commit to not announcing their participation in the Fellowship until after Raise Your Hand Texas has made its public announcement on Wednesday, January 21, 2026.

Contact Information

Contact Amy Dodson, at adodson@ryht.org.

Please note there is one final step required to complete your application before it is fully accepted and ready for review by Raise Your Hand Texas before virtual interviewees are selected.

• All ISD superintendents must be aware of and acknowledge the application process and submission.
• You will receive a unique link that requires your superintendent’s signature. This electronic form will be sent to the email address provided by the person who completed the application for the team.