Entrepreneur-in-Residence
The Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) program is a two-year incubator that supports future school founders as they design and launch a new school in St. Louis. We aim to select up to two to four entrepreneurs each year. For this cohort, we are exploring multiple pathways to launching innovative schools that provide our students with excellent educational opportunities.
Building Schools for the Future
The Opportunity Trust believes that all students deserve a school that honors who they are and prepares them to thrive in our rapidly changing world. However, that promise goes unrealized for far too many students in St. Louis.
We are committed to supporting bold leaders who are working to provide families with the schools they deserve. The Entrepreneur-in-Residence program is an opportunity for school visionaries to imagine, design, pilot, and launch world-class schools in response to family and community needs in St. Louis.
Entrepreneur-in-Residence
There are multiple pathways to launching excellent schools through this program. We are open to innovation and are particularly interested in these areas of need:
- Traditional EIR: co-design an innovative school model for an excellent school.
- Special Education: co-design an innovative school to serve students with various needs.
- Alternative Education: co-design an innovative school to serve students in a non-traditional education setting.
- Virtual or Hybrid Education: co-design an innovative school that leverages technology to promote anytime, anywhere learning for students.
- Credentialing School: co-design an innovative school that provides students with career training and credentials.
- An LEA that incubates micro-schools, and
- Expansion of CMO with a track record of success
Our Approach
The Entrepreneur-in-Residence program is built around five core beliefs that guide each step of the program. You can download our EIR Milestones Guide to learn more about the phases and focus-areas over the two years of the program.
Ecosystem of Support
As part of the fellowship, Entrepreneurs-in-Residence have access to numerous supports to help design and launch a world-class school for children in St. Louis, including:
People
Coaching
Entrepreneurs will have regular meetings with a coach to support the process, offer guidance, and identify additional resources and opportunities to drive progress.
Community & Network
We will help to build a broader network of co-creators, advisors, and formal supports. EIRs will also have access to and collaboration with fellow EIRs, staff members of The Opportunity Trust, and leading thinkers both locally and across the nation.
Experiences
Learning Days
The Opportunity Trust delivers bi-weekly learning days to provide a regular opportunity for EIRs to come together to advance their work. They are meant to provide space to tackle responsive needs and forecast key areas of knowledge and skill-building.
Conferences
We partner with Attuned to provide world-class content and support in applying the best-in-class insights from effective schools–with a particular focus on curriculum, instruction, enabling systems, culture, and talent practices.
Tools & Resources
Salary
Salary ranging from $90,000 to $125,000 per year and health benefits provided for up to two years while designing and preparing to launch a new school.
Stipend
In addition to your salary and benefits, you are eligible for a $25K planning grant to support your learning, piloting, and upstart costs each year.
Curated Resources
Entrepreneurs-in-Residence gain access to curated research, templates, and tools that we believe will help your journey.
About You
While we’re actively seeking diverse profiles of leadership, applicants must demonstrate:
An unwavering bar for excellence and a track record of results
You are obsessed with exceeding the bar for rigorous and relevant learning and can show results achieved. School leadership experience is preferred.
Commitment to equity
You regularly reflect on identity and power and are poised to co-create schools that represent a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Curiosity and self-direction
You are humble and continually seek out broad inspiration. You drive development and are prepared to take the reins of your EIR journey. You effectively manage your time and execute tasks to completion.
Strong people leadership
You have experience leading diverse, thriving teams and supporting the growth and development of others.
Effective communication
You have the ability to connect with diverse audiences and convey compelling messages through verbal and written communication.
A promising vision for a new school
While this will evolve through the program, you have an initial school vision that speaks to an authentic community need and represents an engaging, rigorous, relevant learning environment for students.
Kimberly Townsend
Founder, The Leadership School
The EIR program has been invaluable to my journey to design and build an excellent school. The programmatic and coaching support has allowed me to learn from the best schools and education leaders around the country, ensuring that we build a school that will be successful from the first day.
Key Dates
EIR Application Opens
EIR Application Closes
April 5, 6, 7, or 8, 2022
Offers Extended
The Selection Process
-
Submit Application
-
One-Way Video Interview
-
Performance Task
-
Phone Interview
-
Final Interview including Community Forum
-
Mutual Due Diligence
-
Offers Extended