Ed here! I am excited to share with you two fantastic examples of Northwest Educational Service District (NWESD) Fellows. Sarah Dahl from the Sedro-Woolley School District and Melanie Gray from the Monroe School District both served as Early Learning Fellows in the NWESD Region this past year. They are model examples of who can be a Fellow and what educators can do with the opportunity to join a Fellows community through the NWESD.

This description from the OSPI website offers some background on the Fellows Networks: 

The Washington State Fellows’ Network, a three-year program, is a group of instructional leaders convened by the OSPI and the Association of Educational Service Districts (AESD) to support district and community implementation of state learning standards in mathematics, English Language Arts (ELA), science, and the Early Learning Guidelines. 

The Fellows Network began in 2013 and has seen hundreds of Fellows through one, two, or three years of a learning cycle.  As part of their commitment to the program, each Fellow creates an action plan that captures how they will use their role to create positive change in their systems. These plans can vary greatly in scope, with some focused on a single classroom and others focused on district-wide programs. Melanie Gray was an Early Learning Fellow who joined our network just this past year when she became Monroe School District’s Early Learning Administrator. Melanie focused her Fellow’s Action Plan on developing a strong Transitional Kindergarten program in the district and utilized the connections that she made within the Early Learning Fellow community and the learning from the sessions this year to develop a plan that was ultimately chosen for funding through a competitive grant process with OSPI.

Many Fellows choose to continue beyond the first three years of the core Fellows program and become Emeritus Fellows. Staying connected as an Emeritus Fellow keeps them involved with the network as they continue to learn, assist, and lead the network while taking on additional projects, speaking engagements, and committee assignments at the regional and state level. Sarah Dahl, an Early Learning TOSA, and Transitional Kindergarten teacher is the first-ever Early Learning Emeritus Fellow from the NWESD region. Sarah has supported her colleagues around the region in a variety of ways for several years. During this past school year, Sarah kept in touch with a number of other Early Learning Fellows, including Melanie Gray, to learn and share about topics like developing Transitional Kindergarten programs and COVID restrictions and options; and to plan future observations in each other’s districts.  Sarah has even extended her leadership role to a statewide project focused on improving transitions to kindergarten.

An English Language Arts (ELA) Fellow from the NWESD region shared that, “Action planning has supported my work by providing a framework, many excellent resources, and the opportunity to connect with others in the Fellows program as I work to help teachers move to more research-based, Science of Reading oriented literacy instruction.”

Educational equity is a major focus for learning and exploration in all of the Fellows networks and in Fellows’ action plans. As I meet more teacher leaders engaged in the Science, Math, ELA, and Early Learning Fellows Networks, I often hear about how impactful the experience has been for them. In the words of another ELA Fellow, “The researchers, presenters, and authors to which the Fellows Program introduced me will inform my practice forever…”

This is the time of year when applications are open for new Fellows to join these well-established and supported networks.  If you’re interested in joining or want to recommend the program to someone else, you can find more information and the application below:

Learn more + apply

Fellows Networks welcome all educators and are strengthened by participation from those with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and viewpoints. If you have any questions, please contact the NWESD Coordinator associated with the network that you’re interested in joining. They’ve all assured me that the June 30th deadline will be extended and shouldn’t discourage potential Fellows from applying.  Here’s how to contact them:

I wish you all a fantastic summer full of learning and discovery!