FY26 Propel Incubator Fresh Start Fellowship

Why Join Propel Incubator:

Opportunity 180 envisions a future for our Nevada where every kid attends a great public school that ensures they graduate high school college and career ready, prepared to live the life they dream. One way to propel towards that future is through this fellowship. The Propel Incubator fellowship is for self-driven, out-of-the-box thinkers who feel called to create a great school in Nevada - schools that are truly co-created with the families they’ll serve, that promise an excellent, holistic education for all students, and that push the boundaries of what we know school to be. By joining us as a fellow, leaders are matched with professional learning supports and experiences that are designed to help inspire and develop them toward bringing their vision to life.

Launching High-Quality Schools:

There are multiple pathways to launch exceptional schools through the Propel Incubator. We are open to innovation and are particularly interested in school models that address these areas of need:

• Community-Based: co-design an innovative school model for an excellent school.
• Diverse by Design: co-design an innovative school that serves an intentionally diverse community
• Specific Populations: co-design an innovative school that specializes in serving students with autism, teenage parents, students who are blind, dropout prevention, etc.
• Credentialing School: co-design an innovative school that provides students with career training and credentials. 
• Expansion of CMO with a track record of success

Role:

The Propel Fresh Start Incubator Fellow will:

• Incubate in a high-performing public charter school (placement possibilities across the country) for up to one school year in preparation to design and launch their own high-quality public charter school. 
• Be deeply immersed in a model of a high-performing school in order to build a strong school model designed to close the opportunity gap during the incubation placement 
• Spend time researching the strongest instructional programs and behavior management systems to inform their school model 
• Receive extensive exposure to leadership roles at their incubation site and the opportunity to observe the School Leaders’ ability to set a powerful vision for student achievement, motivate others to follow that vision, and execute toward that vision. 
• Have access to additional as-needed support from Opportunity 180. 

Top 3 Things to Know About the Propel Fellowship

Open a school in Las Vegas!

• The Propel fellowship aims to increase access to exceptional public school options for Nevada’s students through fellows launching and leading a public charter school in Nevada! This will require fellows to live in Las Vegas. Relocation reimbursement is offered.

Residency is Key!

• The Propel Fellowship believes that residency in a high-performing school that mirrors components of the fellow's vision is essential. Every fellow will spend significant time in residency at a school site.

Community-Based Design!

• The Propel Fellowship anchors on school models designed for and with the community the school intends to serve. Fellows will co-create their schools with local families, community leaders, and organizations, tailoring programs to address the unique needs of the specific Nevada community they intend to serve.

What You’ll Do: As a fellow in the Propel Incubator Fellowship, you will:

• Build partnerships and alliances with families, community leaders, and organizations in Nevada (Clark County or Washoe) committed to transformational outcomes for children.
• Mobilize this coalition to advocate for expanded high-quality public school options and support the launch of a new high-quality public charter school
• Co-Design an innovative school model that ensures that children are set up for success alongside 
• Launch the school by securing authorization for opening a new public charter school through a rigorous application process
• Recruit and onboard a founding board, families, and teammates aligned to the mission and values of the new public charter school
• Lead the support you will need to achieve your ambitious aims through the length of the fellowship and successful launch of the school
• Write a high-quality charter application for submission to the authorizing authority 

Responsibilities: As a Propel Fresh Start Incubator Fellow at the incubation site these are the types of responsibilities you may have: Final responsibilities will be determined in collaboration with the incubator site.

Student Achievement

• Support the Principal in leading and overseeing the school’s instructional program (curriculum and assessment); 
• Analyze student achievement data as well as teacher performance data on a variety of metrics, both quantitative and qualitative, and use the information to collaborate with the Principal and teaching staff;
• Ensure that every student shows dramatic achievement gains and that the school meets the ambitious goals set by the incubator school;

Student Culture 

• Teach and reinforce incubator site school-wide behavior management systems;
• Build positive relationships with students grounded in incubator site core values and school model;
• Ensure that behavioral expectations and school culture standards are met inside of the classroom as well as outside, including supervision and support of behavior and culture during bus rides, cafeteria/meal times, enrichment, and dismissal;

Teacher Development and Evaluation

• Plan and deliver appropriate professional development for all teachers;
• Support faculty to ensure that all staff are providing well-managed and rigorous daily lessons and regular and productive interventions;
• Support the creation of a calendar for school-wide and grade-wide professional development sessions;

Parent and Family Engagement

• Maintain communication and relations with the families, ensuring they are kept involved and held accountable for their children’s academic and behavioral performance, including attendance;
• Respond to family concerns promptly and effectively;
• Support staff in coordinating family meetings and special events;

School Leadership

• Participate in regular leadership team meetings at the school and network level 
• Lead staff training at the start and end of the school year and on professional development days;
• Co-manage assigned aspects of school-wide routines such as lunch procedures and before/after-school plans;

What You Bring: Below are the mindsets fellows will possess and operate from

Self-Driven and Self Aware

• Fellows operate as dynamic leaders directing and tailoring support for themselves and their teams while engaging in continuous cycles of feedback and improvement
• Fellows are reflective on their own journey; they know where they want to be and where they are at in order to advocate for what they need

Inspiring and Innovative

• Fellows seek diverse inspiration and push themselves to pursue bold visions
• Fellows are driven by high expectations and outcomes for students
• Fellows think outside the box to dismantle barriers to equitable education
• Fellows are relentless in learning from the best that is out there but open to imagining something new when necessary for their kids

Committed to Maximize Potential

• Fellows know the stakes are high and thus hold high standards for themselves, their teams, and their kids
• Fellows are driven by the desire to provide an environment in which they, their staff, and their kids can maximize their potential

Community Oriented

• Fellows know great work is done in teams 
• Fellows elevate the voices of students and families
• Fellows do this work with the communities they serve, not to the communities they serve
• Fellows understand the importance of understanding the political landscape in their community and commit to doing so in service of their students and families

Focused and Action Oriented

• Fellows balance planning and visioning with doing
• Fellows seek out multiple chances to practice key leadership skills while getting feedback
• Fellows recognize there will be roadblocks but work to maneuver through or around them
• Fellows are committed to cycles of doing, reflecting, and revising

Commitment to Equity

• Fellows regularly reflect on identity and power and are poised to co-create schools representing a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and know great work is done in teams 
• Fellows humbly link arms with others in our community and the broader educational equity community

Effective Communication

• Fellows have the ability to connect with diverse audiences and convey compelling messages through verbal and written communication

Strong People Leadership

• Fellows have experience leading diverse, thriving teams and supporting the growth and development of others.

Your Qualifications: 

• Mastery of and enthusiasm for academic subjects and instructional coaching
• Track record of producing dramatic, demonstrable student achievement gains or comparable results in their current field;
• Ability to approach situations with optimism and perseverance
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Master’s Educational Administration, Public Administration, Business Administration, or related field; OR at least 5 years experience in school administration, public administration or business administration and a Bachelor’s Degree. 
• Minimum of 5 years teaching experience
• Experience as a Dean, AP, or equivalent leadership role preferred but not required
• Spanish proficiency or fluency is preferred, but not required

Compensation:

The Fellow will enter into an employment contract with the selected school or operate as a short-term Independent Contractor (via 1099)with Opportunity 180 that will include:

• Competitive wages 
• Housing Stipend (if applicable)

Opportunity 180, through the relationship with the fellow, will provide ongoing support in preparing for a charter application to the State Authorizer and school launch. This includes providing strategic support and reimbursement for travel back and forth from the fellowship site to the proposed Nevada school site. The fellow will develop a fellow action plan to monitor and track their work towards ambitious goals and provide updates to Opportunity 180 on a regular basis. The fellow will also collaborate with Opportunity 180 to determine the best partners and support for them aligned with their ambitious goals. 

Deadlines:

Opportunity 180 is identifying candidates who would be a great fit for a Propel fellowship. We are accepting applications through April 10, 2026. We expect to have multiple fellows each year.