Interested in starting a Charter school?

Building Excellent Schools, a non profit dedicated to the, well, building of excellent schools in low-income urban communities is seeking dedicated community members with a strong passion for youth, and the education of youth, to apply for fellowships that start this September.

The Building Excellent Schools Fellowship is a rigorous, year-long training program in general charter school management, which in some ways places it in parallel with programs offered at graduate schools of business and education. However, instead of its participants being students that come to the program with myriad interests that they pay the university to help develop and refine, Building Excellent Schools Fellows are carefully selected leaders-in-training who come already focused on one goal, founding and operating a Fellowship school, and instead of paying BES for its training, recipients are paid by BES a generous professional stipend of $80,000 for their year’s work in the program

As for requirements?:

Classroom experience is not a pre-requisite for participation in the Fellowship. However, a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university is required. Ultimately, Building Excellent Schools is looking for high-capacity individuals deeply committed to fundamentally changing urban education. An exemplary Fellow is:

Ø A relentless achiever—gets the job done no matter what.

Ø Demanding of oneself and others—good is not good enough, only great will suffice.

Ø Willing to learn—accepts that only with careful study, guidance, and preparation can a great school be built.

Ø Highly flexible—can adapt to new knowledge, skills, and situations with ease.

Ø Mature and professional—can successfully operate in multiple professional environments, including business and government.

If you are interested, a good way to start is by filling out the questionnaire.

You can also attend an information session, the next one in California will be May 13th in Oakland.

Check out some charter schools that have been founded by Building Excellent School fellows:

Excel Academy
Massachusetts

Berkshire Arts and Technology Charter Public School
Massachusetts

Boston Preparatory Charter School
Massachusetts

If you see yourself opening up a charter school in Los Angeles where you would have a direct effect on the lives and future of the youth, then it's definitely worth applying.


-Rudy