OSWEGO — SUNY Oswego School of Education Dean Laura Spenceley was recently named an Impact Academy fellow through the national nonprofit organization Deans for Impact (DFI).

Spenceley and 23 other leaders, selected for their commitment to improving educator preparation, are part of the fellowship’s eighth cohort. 

“For the eighth year in a row, we welcome a diverse group of outstanding leaders to Impact Academy who are steadfast in their commitment to ensuring all PK-12 students access well-prepared teachers,” DFI Executive Director Valerie Sakimura said. “As communities respond to shortages of skilled educators, there is no more crucial time to ensure that we’re building pathways into teaching that are accessible, practice-based, and focused on equitable instruction. Leaders in educator preparation play an essential role in charting the future of the teaching profession.”

Through its Impact Academy Fellowship, DFI aims to fill the need for leaders who can strengthen and diversify the educator workforce. To date, the program has provided more than 130 dean-level leaders with skills, knowledge, and strategies to prioritize instructional quality and build more equitable systems of teaching and learning.

“Throughout my career, it has been important to me to find a strong group of mentors,” Spenceley said in a press release. “This opportunity really was serendipitous as I learned about this fellowship at a conference when a DFI staff member was on a panel. What spoke to me about it is that, as a newer dean, I was looking for a cohort of both novice and more experienced deans who could provide knowledge and support, as well as a sense of community.”

Fellows will participate in monthly learning sessions through the summer of 2024, receive one-on-one coaching from seasoned leaders, and engage in peer consultancies to address field-facing challenges in real time. Through the fellowship, they will hone their abilities with stakeholders in a shared vision for change grounded in a scientific understanding about how students learn. Each fellow will work on an adaptive challenge their institution’s education program faces.

DFI is a nonprofit organization that says it is committed to ensuring every child is taught by a well-prepared teacher. It supports preparation programs to bring the science of learning into teaching practice, partners with policymakers, and equips leaders with tools to address today’s challenges.