Ayers Leadership Fellows

Ayers Leadership Fellows will earn a Master of Education (M.Ed.) or Education Specialist (Ed.S.) degree in Educational Leadership at Lipscomb University and an administrative license in the state of Tennessee. The Ayers Foundation and the Scarlett Family Foundation have made scholarships available for these aspiring school leaders, and Ayers Leadership Fellows will be selected from a pool of applicants based on merit and innovative partnerships with their individual school districts. Fellows will engage in field experiences and direct mentoring relationships with current educational leaders, and will be engaged in coursework designed to enhance researched-based best-practice leadership skills.

Scholarships will be awarded to candidates who are exceptional individuals, have already shown leadership capacity, have the ability to set goals, are ready to assume high levels of responsibility, have a passion for learning, and a desire to achieve. Candidates should be aspiring school leaders who are seeking to improve their leadership knowledge and skills through completion of a competency, field-based program that includes clinical experiences and mentor coaching.

Candidates must have a valid Tennessee teaching license and three years of teaching experience to be eligible for the program. Students with a valid Tennessee Professional School Service Personnel license must pass a Principles of Learning and Teaching Praxis exam and have a minimum of three years experience.

Scholarships will be awarded for 50 percent off the tuition of the recipient’s entire leadership program.

Scholarships will be awarded based upon merit. However, applicants who demonstrate a thoughtful and involved participation from his or her district will be given preference for the scholarship. Since the scholarship program seeks to promote and leverage partnerships between aspiring school leaders and current school leadership, school districts that can commit to investments in their fellows will have an advantage over other candidates that cannot show that investment from their school district or school system leadership.

Each district will be informed of the opportunity to engage in a district partnership through this program by the Lipscomb University College of Education and will be given the flexibility to determine how they would like to craft specific proposals. However, candidates are welcome to create their own plans for how to use this opportunity and propose it to their districts. 

To apply for the Ayers Leadership Fellows program, applicants must first complete a standard application for either the M.Ed. or Ed.S. in Educational Leadership program. Once applicants have completed the standard degree applications, they will need to complete the Ayers Leadership Fellows scholarship application. Both the standard application and the scholarship application are due by April 13, 2018.

Applicants to the Ayers Leadership Fellows program will follow the standard application process for the Master of Education or Educational Specialist degree in Educational Leadership. Additionally, candidates will submit an Ayers Leadership Fellows scholarship application. Both are due by April 13, 2018. An admission committee will review submitted applications and select candidates for interviews in May. For details on the application process, contact the College of Education's Outreach and Enrollment team at 615.966.6113 or education@lipscomb.edu.

Candidates with a master’s degree will be encouraged to apply for the Ed.S. program. Candidates with either an Ed.S. or an administrative license may apply for the fellowship but must clearly articulate both their intentions for this program and how being selected for the program will  benefit themselves and the district.

Selections will be announced the end of May 2018.

The program is 15 months long. Classes begin in August 2018 and will meet approximately one weekend per month during the school year—usually on Friday from 5 p.m.–9 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m.–4 p.m. and may meet two weekends per month during the summer months of June and July. Additional online work, field experiences and collaboration with a mentor will be expected throughout the program. The program ends in December 2019.