Maine Impact Education Fellowship

Maine Impact Education Fellowship

The Maine Impact Education Fellows Program is a strategic partnership between The Great Schools Partnership (GSP) and Educate Maine, with ongoing support from the Barr Foundation and the help of founding sponsor Unum.

Building on the growing work of the Teach Maine Center and findings from GSP’s “Increasing the Racial, Ethnic, and Linguistic Diversity of the Educator Workforce” and Educate Maine’s “Maine’s Educator Workforce Data Landscape, this program is designed to grow, strengthen, and diversify Maine’s educator workforce and support student success across the state.

What Does it Mean to Grow, Strengthen, and Diversify?

  • Grow

    Expand Maine’s educator workforce by attracting, preparing, recruiting, and retaining well-prepared educators to meet student and community needs.

  • Strengthen

    Provide ongoing professional learning, mentorship, and career-long supports that empower educators to thrive and lead as equity-centered professionals.

  • Diversify

    Build a diverse educator workforce that reflects the many identities of Maine learners, such as racial, ethnic, linguistic, and geographic

The DEW Collaborative grounding principals
The Diversifying the Educator Workforce Collaborative Grounding Principles
The Maine Impact Fellowship Goals​

Provide training, resources, and support to educators across the state to ensure that schools are equitable, welcoming, and inclusive places for both educators and students.

Enhance educators’ knowledge and skills in research-proven best practices to ensure strong academic outcomes for all students. 

Build capacity in Maine teacher leaders to provide ongoing support, mentorship, and high-quality professional development for all staff within their districts.

The Maine Impact Fellows

The Maine Impact Education Fellows (MIEF) program admits cohorts of up to 30 educators yearly,  from across the state. These educators represent a variety of roles, grade levels, geographic locations, and racial, ethnic, and linguistic backgrounds.

The fellows come together for two in-person sessions, four virtual sessions, and lead one workshop at their school throughout the school year. Their fellowship year culminates in a capstone project that showcases and shares everything they have learned. Additional responsive supports include onsite visits, observations, access to a curated resource bank, and one-on-one coaching support time.

The Maine Impact Fellows

The Maine Impact Education Fellows (MIEF) program admits cohorts of up to 30 educators yearly,  from across the state. These educators represent a variety of roles, grade levels, geographic locations, and racial, ethnic, and linguistic backgrounds.

The fellows come together for two in-person sessions, four virtual sessions, and lead one workshop at their school throughout the school year. Their fellowship year culminates in a capstone project that showcases and shares everything they have learned. Additional responsive supports include onsite visits, observations, access to a curated resource bank, and one-on-one coaching support time.

Two women sit at a table with laptops and notebooks, attentively listening in a bright, modern classroom with large windows—a dynamic setting fostering Maine Education as other groups work and converse in the background.
Three people sit at a round table with laptops, notebooks, and green paper, writing notes. A large water bottle and coffee cup sit nearby. The setting appears to be a Maine Impact Education Fellowship group work session.
Three women sit around a table engaged in conversation, likely discussing their Maine Impact Education Fellowship. Papers, drinks, snacks, and a laptop are scattered across the table in their meeting room.
Attendees of the Maine Impact Education Fellowship gather in a brightly lit conference room with round tables and large windows, holding notebooks and drinks as they engage in lively conversation.
During my tenure, I have encouraged external professional development and supported the growth of our workforce through that important route. As valuable as that has been, I am even more excited by creating a culture where we talk as an educational community about how we can best serve students - pushing us to honestly assess how some common practices are shaped by history rather than informed by current societal trends and student needs.
A navy circle with a white silhouette of Aroostook County Maine.
Aroostook County FellowAdministrator
As a Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) educator and leader, I am often bringing attention and a call for advocacy for our DHH students by modeling my own self-advocacy and educating the wider community on accessibility standards and ways to make programming accessible…… I am looking to build partnerships with our community, build awareness, and gain any and all leadership skills to strengthen my role. I also am eager to see an opportunity to raise up some overlooked but valuable perspectives to the table.
- Cumberland County Fellow
- Cumberland County FellowFamily & Peer Programs and Eastern Services Coordinator
As an educator who works directly with students exploring their post-secondary pathways, I understand the importance of providing individuals with ample opportunities right here in Maine that can lead to meaningful, successful careers and strengthen our workforce.
Cumberland County Fellow
Cumberland County FellowJMG Core Specialist
My journey as an Iraqi-American, who learned language out of necessity and later as a tool for connection and advocacy, gives me a unique lens that questions, reimagines, and values the symbiosis of language and culture. This perspective is one I am motivated to share and expand upon. My lived experiences with linguistic and cultural adaptation are not just part of my identity; they are my greatest assets in envisioning an inclusive future for languages and culture in Maine.
Cumberland County Fellow
Cumberland County FellowGrades 3-5 Spanish Teacher and Unified Arts Team Leader
I would like to have additional tools at my disposal to encourage potential teachers to take the plunge. By potential teachers, I mean current high school students and would even be willing to work with experts in other fields, such as engineering and industry, if they were considering a career change. I would love to help create a more diverse population of educators in order to inspire students to want to be like those professionals. I would like to find new ways to encourage people to enter AND REMAIN in the field of education.
A white silhouette of Franklin County, Maine, in a blue circle.
Franklin County Fellow Science Teacher
With 18 years of experience as a Kindergarten teacher and now a literacy specialist, I have seen firsthand how access to effective instruction and strong mentorship can transform learning and lives. A fellowship of this caliber deepens my leadership capacity, equips me with innovative strategies, and connects me with a network of passionate educators who share a commitment to equity and inclusion.
Hancock County Fellow
Hancock County FellowLiteracy Specialist
In a time when access to opportunity is shaped by geography, privilege, and social capital, I want to be a bridge, ensuring that students and teachers from remote schools aren’t just included, but centered in the work of reimagining Maine’s educational future. Schools like mine are not always behind, and can be ahead in relationship-rich learning, creativity, and personalization. With the right supports, I believe these can be our state’s most inspiring incubators for change.
A white silhouette of Knox County, Maine, over a blue circle.
Knox County FellowMiddle School Leader | Grade 7/8 Classroom Teacher
Having noticed students' diversifying over the last few decades in our community, there is a strong need for changes in the classroom. My administrators embrace this and allow me to try new things to encourage individual student success.
Lincoln County Fellow
Lincoln County FellowMusic Teacher
Ultimately, my educator role and leadership focus positions me to advocate for educators, design systems of support, and model the type of collaborative leadership that attracts and retains strong teachers—ensuring that the educator workforce in Maine continues to grow in both excellence and inclusivity.
A white silhouette of Penobscot County, Maine, over a blue circle.
Penobscot County FellowGraphic Design and and Entrepreneurship Instructor and Educator Mentor
I have learned that the creativity and innovation required in math education today are directly correlated to the strength and diversity of the educator workforce, which in turn are correlated to the curiosity and passion we are able to bring to the table. As such, my work developing math curricula goes hand-in-hand with my efforts to connect with dedicated educators and mathematicians in and out of school.
A navy circle with a white silhouette of Somerset County Maine.
Somerset County FellowMath Teacher and MTSS Coordinator
As I enter the tail end of my career in education, my professional and personal goals are to leave an impact on the bigger picture of education. In many ways, our current system of education is broken and archaic. I have been blessed to work with amazing educators across this state who can and will be the driving force for the changes needed. I would love the opportunity to make a positive impact on the future educator work force.
A navy circle with a white silhouette of York County Maine.
York County Fellow Dean of Students
The Maine Impact Education Fellowship Results
  • 94%

    Connecting

    94% of fellows reported that the Fellowship provided meaningful opportunities to connect and learn from other fellows.

  • 94%92%

    Developing

    92% of fellows reported the session supported them in developing as an equity-centered leader.

  • 94%92%

    Preparing

    92% of fellows reported feeling prepared and motivated to continue their fellowship work.

The Maine Impact Education Fellowship Partners
The image features the text EDUCATE MAINE above four green icons—a growth chart, graduation cap, laptop, and lightbulb—symbolizing education and innovation through programs like Maine Impact and the Education Fellowship.
The image shows the Unum logo, featuring the word unum in lowercase blue letters, with three blue dots above the u, n, and m—symbolizing community impact like the Maine Fellowship.
Barr Foundation logo featuring a stylized “B” in white and dark blue with a teal corner, alongside “Barr Foundation” in bold, dark blue text on a light background—a mark recognized by the Maine Impact Education Fellowship.