Talent in Action

What leadership and general management talent does the K-12 sector need to meet the challenges of COVID-19? That’s the question Education Pioneers set out to answer when we first conceived of the COVID Response Fellowship in April 2020. At the time, we knew there would be an urgent response to the crisis, as well as a longer-term effort to recover and rebuild – but we couldn’t predict the details of the work. We are proud to share stories of impact from the EP COVID Response Fellowship, and to announce EP's new COVID Recovery Fellowship for 2022. Over the course of 12-month work placements...

Twelve months ago, when the COVID-19 virus was just emerging, none of us could imagine where we would be today: school systems still navigating how to re-open and stay open, communities still struggling to ensure residents have basic necessities. Where will we be twelve months from now? With growing vaccine availability and promise of recovery funding, there are real reasons to hope we can get back to normal life. But returning to normal shouldn’t be our aspiration. “Normal” K-12 education wasn’t working for millions of Black and Latinx students, and other children from low-income communities...

Nine months into the pandemic, schools continue to face unprecedented challenges in equitably serving students and families. Recent analysis from the NWEA shows that student achievement in math has dropped 5 to 10 percentage points , with even larger declines for students of color. With half of students missing year-over-year testing, researchers fear that results may be even worse. Nationwide, more than 3 million vulnerable children are estimated to be displaced from school. In response to this ongoing educational crisis, EP is proud to announce our COVID Response Fellowship cohort -- a...

We are proud to announce the new 2020-2021 Education Pioneers Impact Fellowship cohort -- a group of 23 rising problem solvers, data analysts, and strategic thinkers who aspire to make a difference for kids and communities. They join EP’s existing network of 4,500+ leaders who work outside the classroom to enable student and teacher success inside the classroom. Impact Fellows have begun their 10-month work placements at our Partner organizations, including school systems, education agencies, and supporting nonprofits. They also recently began their leadership development programming --...

EP’s second cohort of Impact Fellows began in Fall 2019 . Over the course of their EP Fellowship the world changed and they pivoted with purpose , demonstrating not only the adaptive leadership skills they were learning and building during their leadership development programming but also their commitment to education. While their experience began in person, COVID-19 mandated a swift pivot to remote work, virtual programming, and online cohort connections.

This summer was unlike most others. Education leaders and school staff had high-stakes work to prepare for the next school year. At the same time as the education sector is navigating the looming budget crisis and a strong potential for learning loss caused by COVID-19, there’s also a racial and social justice reckoning it must act upon. The surge of necessary and complicated work caused by the confluence of two crises — civil rights and public health — will require sustained effort, anti-racist approaches, and a network of passionate people willing to care, act, and challenge each other...

Dear Pioneers, partners, supporters and friends of EP, As COVID-19 rages on and the 2020-2021 academic year begins, school leaders are wrestling with hard choices and conflicting priorities around community safety, student learning, and budget constraints. Eighty-five percent of the 20 largest U.S. school districts are starting remote-only. Studies are simultaneously projecting that existing achievement gaps will widen by another 15-20% as low-income and students of color face distance learning inequities — all while there’s a national spotlight on racial injustice. There are no playbooks for...

In this Pioneer Profile with 2014 EP Alum Dr. Vanessa Monterosa , she talks about her pioneering work in digital citizenship, the leaders that inspire her, and what's she still learning to do. What were you doing before EP? Before EP, I was a Ph.D. student working as a Research Associate at the USC Rossier School of Education where I was doing research on social media and college access/success. What led you to EP & why did you pursue the opportunity? I originally was accepted as an EP Fellow in 2011 as I was graduating from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. I had been offered an...

Our partners at Higher Expectations originally posted this story on their website. In 2019, we collaborated with Racine Unified to bring a data fellow from Education Pioneers , a national education leadership development program, into our work. This was one of the first times Education Pioneers placed a fellow in Wisconsin. Our Data Fellow, Lauren Marinoff, closes her year working with us this week so we wanted to take the time to reflect on the great work she has accomplished this year. Education Pioneers identifies high-potential leaders from different sectors early in their careers and...

This summer was our 15th year of Fellowships cohorts — 110+ new Pioneers joined summer cohorts across the country and now we're thrilled to welcome them into our nationwide network of 4,300+ Alumni. The application for next summer's cohort is now open . Read the full press release. The priority deadline for the Summer Fellowship’s application is December 18, 2019. Nearly 70% of Summer Fellows are selected from priority round applicants. — The Sojourner Truth School (@TruthMontessori) August 26, 2019 The application for the EP Summer Fellowship is now open . Read the full press release. We are...