Flamboyan Fellowship

To deeply influence and impact the practice of family engagement in communities across the country, we know that a collaborative, multi-stakeholder approach is essential. We recommend that fellows center their work within a specific district or large charter organization, and that they ensure a diverse set of voices at the table.

It is crucial that you think strategically about the ideal team to lead family engagement efforts within your community and submit an application for a team of 4-5. Each team must have at least one person who can implement the family engagement plan at the district level, ideally within a school district or charter management organization. If the team has state-wide aspirations, team members should include people who represent multiple districts in the state.

Successful teams share the following characteristics:

1. The team has at least one district or CMO decision maker (with control over budgets, educator, or staff time) and clear buy-in from the local leadership;
2. The team has the means for funding their work, either through a local funder, or through the local district budget;
3. The individuals on the team are ready to explore and engage in deep conversations about their personal race and equity journey; and
4. The team effectively engages local stakeholders to collect regular feedback and get help removing barriers to their work.

To make our vision come to life, we have a deep commitment to equity, with a particular focus on racial equity. Flamboyan seeks to partner with stakeholders who value and engage in equitable practices and opportunities for all students and families. The Flamboyan Fellowship will include candid and deep conversations on race and equity, focused on our individual perspectives and on the system-level mindsets and practices that impact inequities today. A key component of the Flamboyan Fellowship is the Landscape Assessment each team will conduct to better understand their community through historical analysis of systemic inequities and deep listening with families.

At the same time, Flamboyan asks Fellows to deeply examine their personal biases and beliefs so that they are in better position to discuss family engagement in relation to race and equity. Whether working in rural or urban communities, this self-reflection is essential to building the level of trust required for candid and courageous conversations about race and equity. Flamboyan expects that each fellowship team will demonstrate a commitment to exploring racial inequity as they build REAL Family Engagement.

As a Flamboyan Fellow, your 24-month experience will give you tools to influence family engagement systems and practices within your locale; access to a national network of state and local leaders who are committed to REAL Family Engagement; and the completion of a strategic plan to launch or improve family engagement in your community.

Flamboyan’s support will include a range of services and offerings, including:

• customized coaching, including on-site visits to your locale;
• facilitated learning;
• periodic convenings in Washington, DC or locally with Flamboyan staff, industry experts, and other cohort teams.

Flamboyan requires a $5,000 financial commitment from each fellowship team. Beyond that, Flamboyan will cover costs for travel, room, and board for up to 5 members who comprise the fellowship team to attend convenings.

All fellows must attend the convenings. Please review the dates below and ensure all team members can participate.

• Kick off Webinar: November 9, 2020, 12pm-2pm
• Convening 1: April 6-8, 2021, Washington, DC
• Convening 2: October 19-21, 2021, Location TBD
• Convening 3: March 1-3, 2022, Washington D.C.
• Convening 4: Fellow Summer Experience, June-July 2022. We are holding this block of time to plan a convening or site visit, based on the cohort’s need. Location TBD.
• Convening 5/Final Convening: November 8-10, 2022, Washington DC

Between convenings, Flamboyan coaches will conduct site visits to team communities to support strategic planning. We will work with your team to identify site visit dates during the following windows:

• Coach Site Visit 1: January 2021
• Coach Site Visit 2: May-June 2021
• Coach Site Visit 3: January 2022
• Coach Site Visit 4: May 2022
• Coach Site Visit 5: September 2022

Application Review Window: July 31 – Mid August

Flamboyan will carefully review all submitted applications, with a particular interest in teams who are positionally diverse, representative of their community, and well-positioned to lead family engagement work within their jurisdiction. Teams will learn whether they have advanced to the next round by August 14.

Virtual Zoom Interview: August 17 – 28

After the initial application review, teams invited to participate in the next round of the selection process will have a 60- to 90-minute Zoom virtual interview. All team members are required to attend the virtual interview for a critical opportunity to more fully describe the ideas and thoughts in your application with the Flamboyan selection committee. Teams will be most successful if they are prepared to speak, with both passion and an eye toward sustainability, about their vision for equitable family engagement in their community. Candidates should also plan to discuss both the bright spots and challenges they anticipate encountering in their work, especially issues of systemic inequity. Additionally, the committee will seek to gauge each team’s capacity to carry out a 3-5 year strategic plan, including the infrastructure and advisers in the community who will support the success of the work. Teams will learn whether they have advanced to the next round by September 4.

Site Visits for 8-10 Finalist Teams: Mid-September through Mid-October.

To help us select the 5 teams, we will conduct a site visit with local stakeholders and community members as the final step in the application process. During this visit, finalist teams will be responsible for connecting Flamboyan staff with funders, district and/or state leadership, and anyone else positioned to support the sustainable success of the team’s family engagement work. Ideally, we will also have a meeting with all team members during the two-day visit to your location. More information will be provided in advance of the first-round interviews. Teams will learn which 5 teams will join Cohort 3 by October 30.