We are pleased you are considering the Michigan Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP), facilitated by the Office of K-12 Outreach in Michigan State University’s College of Education in partnership with the Institute for Educational Leadership. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the program!
This ten-month professional development program is designed for individuals whose work record reflects strong leadership abilities and a concern for improving the life chances of children and youth. Program participants hold full-time positions in diverse local, state, and national organizations. Fellows are supported by their employing agencies.
For a preliminary 2024-25 program schedule, please click here.
Fellows remain in their full-time positions and use their work environment as the context for examining important leadership and policy issues in Michigan and across the nation. EPFP activities are directed by on-site Co-Coordinators.
The 2024-25 Michigan EPFP experience will be primarily in-person (with two virtual sessions in January 2025). The program will bring Fellows and ideas together through a variety of on-site learning opportunities (such as seminars, informal discussions, site visits, skill development workshops, and a group project), through electronic networking and information sharing, and through participation in two national conferences during the Fellowship year that unite EPFP participants from across the country.
The first of the conferences, held in October 2024, is the Regional Leadership Forum in Carlisle, Pennsylvania (See the October 2023 In Focus newsletter). This forum heightens Fellows’ understanding of leadership challenges and themselves as leaders. It also allows Fellows to take leadership lessons from the Battle of Gettysburg and the U.S. Army War College. The second conference, held in Spring 2025, is the Washington Policy Seminar (See the March 2024 In Focus newsletter). This meeting increases Fellows’ knowledge of national policy issues and processes and gives them a chance to identify the impact of national decisions on their work.
Participation in EPFP yields impactful results. The program’s complementary working/learning, state/national, and in-person/virtual activities provide Fellows with a unique personal development laboratory for applying new insights and practicing new skills. Fellows are given many opportunities to:
As a result, employing agencies are rewarded with better-informed and more skillful employees.
Additionally, pending approval, State Continuing Education Clock Hours (SCECHs) will be offered at no cost to program participants.
Each person’s employing agency, the sponsor, pays the base program fee of $2,800, travel costs, and any special site-specific programming fees. In addition, the employer provides release time for on-site and national activities. An invoice for program fees will be sent early in the program year.
EPFP invites your application if you have:
EPFP requires participation in on-site training activities, which are generally, but not always, half-days held on Monday afternoons. In addition, Fellows are expected to attend the regional and national conferences. Please consider these extra demands on your time in light of your current professional and personal schedule. If you cannot participate fully in EPFP, please do not complete the application.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| June – August 2nd | EPFP applications are open online. |
| August 9th | Fellows are notified of acceptance. |
| September 9th | EPFP sessions begin. |
The final selection of Fellows is made jointly by the EPFP Co-Coordinators and representatives of their employing agencies.
Please complete the entire application online. The endorsement section must be completed for your application to be considered.