Congratulations to Amy Levengood, an 8th-grade language arts teacher at Trickum Middle School, on being selected for the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) Teacher Policy Fellowship. The fellowship is a professional learning opportunity for classroom teachers to learn about educational policy and policymaking.

     The program is nine months long and allows fellows to gain knowledge in policy design and implementation by identifying key stakeholders, establishing relationships with decision-makers at the local and state levels, and learning about education-based bills and beyond.

     “Truthfully, it’s a surreal feeling, especially since I was chosen from hundreds of applicants across the whole state. It is an honor to represent Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) at the state level through this program,” Levengood shares.

     The program combines online and in-person learning so educators can continue supporting their classrooms. In addition, Levengood will travel to Washington, D.C., to learn more about education policy at the federal level. At the end of the program, she will present a policy proposal of her choice to a group of experts for feedback.

     Levengood says she was inspired to apply for this opportunity when she became interested in how education policy affects her classroom daily.

      “I believe it is crucial to bridge the gap between the classroom and policymaking. This fellowship will empower me to be an advocate for myself, the many teachers in my family, and the numerous, amazing teachers I have met (and will meet) over the course of my career,” she explains.  “Furthermore, I want to learn more about decision-making processes that affect me each and every day. I want to continue to grow as a professional, and what better way to do that than learn how to help directly influence policy? As the famous saying here in GCPS goes ‘There are those who teach, and there are those who support teachers;’ I want to be an advocate not only for myself but also for the educators who may not have found their voice.”

    The Teacher Policy Fellowship will begin taking applications for their 2025-2026 cohort in September 2025.