Applications Now Open for the Mill Institute's 2024-2025 Teacher Fellowship!

Join a community of High School educators passionate about cultivating viewpoint diversity and open inquiry in the classroom.

Accepted Fellows Have the Opportunity to:

  • Join an active community of educators committed to promoting viewpoint diversity.
  • Travel to Austin for an in-person collaboration weekend (September 27-29, 2024).
  • Receive training on the Mill Institute's Framework.
  • Create and workshop new classroom resources.
  • Hear from experts in the fields of viewpoint diversity, education, and adolescent development.
  • Receive a $1,000 stipend for their efforts.

Note that Fellows are expected to travel to Austin the weekend of September 27-29. The Mill Institute covers airfare for fellows (up to $500) and covers the cost of hotel and some meals. Fellows are also expected to participate in six monthly two-hour virtual sessions following the in-person gathering. These sessions typically take place late in the afternoon on weekdays.

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Testimonials from Previous Fellows:

"The most significant change I have seen in my students since I started the Mill fellowship is their profound engagement and sophistication in addressing complex, global issues, underscored by a newfound readiness to question settled beliefs." (Dallas, TX)

“It is essential that young people are given the tools to hear a range of opinions and ideas about any given topic, especially the eternally complicated and sticky ones. If we are never challenged to defend our ideas then we will never learn if they can hold up to scrutiny.” (Shelburne Falls, MA)

“Participation in this fellowship has opened my eyes to ways to more successfully plan and implement activities to increase viewpoint diversity and get students talking about controversial or difficult topics.” (New Bern, NC)

“I have much more confidence facilitating discussions with co-workers in my department to help navigate the complexities that we have to deal with and understand the nuances of varying opinions. I cannot stress how valuable this is.” (Alberta, Canada)

Fellowship Facilitators

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Ilana Headshot
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Ellie Avishai, Co-Founder & Executive Director

Ellie Avishai is an educator, a strategist, a leadership coach, and a non-profit leader. She has been an educator for more than 25 years, teaching groups as diverse as primary school students through corporate executives and consulting to school districts across the U.S. and Canada. She is the founder of the I-Think Initiative at the Rotman School of Management, which has been bringing the tools of integrative and design thinking into K-12 schools since 2010. She has an MBA from the University of Toronto and a doctorate in education leadership from Harvard.

Ilana Redstone, Co-Founder & Advisor

Ilana Redstone is an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Illinois. She has a joint PhD in sociology and demography from the University of Pennsylvania (2005). She is the author of the forthcoming book The Certainty Trap and the creator of the Beyond Bigots and Snowflakes video series. She has written for various outlets including the Washington Post, the Hill, Tablet, and the Chicago Tribune. More about her work is available at www.ilanaredstone.com. 

 

Lauren Kish, Program Manager


Lauren Kish is Program Manager for the Mill Institute. She has
a background in entrepreneurship and nonprofit management, and 10 years experience teaching art in the children's hospital setting. She received her MA in Mental Health Counseling from Wake Forest University. 

Applications extended to June30th! Email mill@uaustin.org with any questions about the fellowship or application process.