Paradigm Leaders Fellowship is a standalone nonprofit leadership initiative that trains, supports, and connects senior education leaders to opportunities to scale their impact in the PreK-12 education ecosystem.

The fellowship blends the essentials of systems thinking, instructional leadership, and overall leadership acumen. Fellows meet in person across multiple multi-day sessions over the course of a year, working through a shared framework for redesigning school systems and applying it directly to the systems they lead.

The nonprofit initiative was launched by individuals who have led education systems transformation nationwide, and is not affiliated with any existing program or organization.

The fellowship is designed for education leaders with senior leadership experience in PreK-12 districts, charter management organizations, or other educational settings.

Ideal fellows have a deep belief in the potential of all students, reject incrementalism, believe systems change is possible and urgent, and are eager to lead education systems as the Superintendent, CEO, or Chief within the next two years.

Paradigm Leaders was launched by Becca Dray, Rajeev Bajaj, and Mike Miles. The team members are education practitioners and entrepreneurs who have been educators, district leaders, partners, and strategic executors on transformation in PreK-12 systems.

Mike Miles donates his personal time and capacity as a volunteer to Paradigm efforts as Fellowship faculty, given his current role as the Superintendent of Houston ISD. We are also grateful for guest and invited expert participation from seasoned practitioners.

There is no tuition or program fee for participants. Fellows receive no compensation for participation.

In-person sessions. Multi-day convenings held five times over the course of approximately 15 months, during summer and weekend intensives. 

Pre-work and between-session work. Fellows complete pre-reading to prepare for meaningful engagement in person. After sessions conclude, fellows take what they've learned and implement a version that works in their own context, supported by several check-ins with the Paradigm team. The richness those reflections bring to the next session is invaluable.

The fellowship curriculum blends leadership and instructional acumen with a focus on systems-level leadership. Fellows progress through belts, ultimately earning a black belt in systems transformation.

Across sessions, fellows:

• Understand the elements of systems-level leadership 

• Deepen their instructional expertise and sharpen their ability to develop instructional systems in the service of transformation 

• Build and pressure-test a transformation plan for their own system

Sessions also feature leaders who have led transformation at scale, offering candid perspective on what the work actually demands.

Applications for Cohort 2 will launch early 2027. To learn more or express interest in a future cohort, please fill out the Contact Us section of our website.