Dear John,

In 2019, in response to both the country’s increasing political tensions and the deterioration of the longstanding, pragmatic, education reform consensus, 50CAN launched the National Voices Fellowship.

National Voices is our signature effort to identify the next generation of compelling advocates and spokespeople, who are willing to work across political and racial divides to protect the gains of the last quarter century of education policymaking while also embracing the risk-taking necessary to create the education systems of the future.

This year, fellows will be selected based on their boldness, creativity and imagination as they envision the American education system of the future alongside their capacity to inspire and rally others to make it a reality.

That work seems all the more important today, two years into a pandemic that has wrought countless challenges for children across the country and motivated parents to demand a system that takes a very different approach from the one they have known.

Now in its fourth year, 50CAN’s National Voices Fellowship takes a diverse group of incredible, emerging education leaders and provides them with training in communications, policy, advocacy and politics, along with mentorship by some of the sector’s most prolific thought leaders.

The past three cohorts have learned skills and formed relationships that have led to appearances on national news, on podcasts and in newspapers of record, while simultaneously forming a new professional network that continues to propel their daily work and careers. Last year alone, our Fellows expanded their reach through publications and appearances including The New York Times, EdWeek, Axios, The 74 Million, EdSurge and the New York Daily News.

Applications are open now through the end of February and the 2022 cohort will be announced shortly thereafter. We encourage you to forward this email to friends or colleagues you believe would be a good fit for the fellowship. If you have any questions, please reach out via an email to [email protected]g

Thank you for your continued interest and support. I look forward to introducing you to the 2022 cohort soon.