Virginia Education Policy Fellowship Program



A Professional Development Program for Emerging Leaders in Education and Related Fields

Virginia Fellows

 

Virginia EPFP is a 10-month professional development program for emerging leaders in education and related fields sponsored by the Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL) in Washington, DC. Virginia EPFP’s mission is to develop strategic, executive leaders in public and private organizations who have the capacity to create and implement sound public policy to improve outcomes for children and young people.

 

Participants in the Virginia EPFP hold full-time positions in diverse organizations at the local, state, and national levels. Fellows remain in their full-time positions and use their work environments as the context for examining important leadership and policy issues in their states and at the national level. In total,
EPFP operates at 19 sites throughout the United States with a
national program component provided by IEL.

 

Virginia EPFP brings Fellows and ideas together through a variety of onsite learning activities (seminars, guest lectures, and site visits) and through electronic networking and information sharing. Fellows will also participate in projects related to the program focus on the nexus of policy related to ethics, diversity and educational empowerment. Dialogues and completed projects will be guided by the goal of having an applied impact for the betterment of educational opportunities for our state’s children and youth.

 

In addition, IEL conducts two national conferences for Fellows from all the sites. The Leadership Forum (LF) heightens Fellows’ understanding of leadership challenges and of themselves as leaders. The Washington Policy Seminar (WPS) increases Fellows’ knowledge of national policy issues and processes and gives them a chance to explore the impact of national policies on their work.

 

Participation in Virginia EPFP yields tangible results. The program’s complementary dimensions of work/learning, state/national, and actual/virtual activities provide Fellows with a unique professional development laboratory for applying new insights and for practicing new skills. Fellows have many opportunities to:

 

  • develop a broader and deeper understanding of the policy process;
  • hone their communications and decision-making skills;
  • refine their potential for leadership; and
  • expand their network of professional colleagues.

 

Locally and nationally, through EPFP, employers are rewarded with better informed and more skillful employees. In addition, the critical mass of EPFP graduates in almost every state constitutes a strong network for reform.

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