Transformational Leadership

A couple of months ago, I had a great—and nerve-wracking—professional opportunity. I stood in front of a group of 40 people I’d never met and led them through a working session about diversity, equity, and inclusion. The work and the topic were high-stakes, to say the least. In that moment, I was tasked to bring all that I’d learned in the last six months to fruition. Plus, leading the development of those 40 professionals was key for my organization, Education Pioneers, as that is what we do . So I was particularly attuned to getting it right. In that heightened state of attention, I learned...

Feedback gets a good rap. We know we’re supposed to give it, and it’s claimed to be a ticket to becoming a great manager. At EP, we celebrate “saying the thing” as an important mantra that gives us responsibility to speak candidly because we believe feedback is critical to advancing our work. But to me, saying the thing is only half the equation. What happens after?

When a job is more than just a job: Wilma Franco's story.

Jacqueline Greer (2006 EP Fellow) has built an impressive career in education. Now serving as the Executive Director, DC for Urban Teachers , Jacqueline’s expertise in human capital has enabled her to lead a team that has supported over 300 teachers who reach over 9,300 students in 53 Washington, DC schools. In this Q&A she shares her insights on human capital in education.

Budgets can feel like barriers. Especially in education where money is extremely tight—and many budgets are shrinking. But there are ways to find savings and use the dollars you have strategically to hire smartly, achieve your goals, and reach your organization’s mission.

Last week, the spring 2016 cohort of Pahara Institute's NextGen Network was announced--and two EP Alumni, Lisa Ahn and Jelani McEwen were selected. This week on the EP blog, we revisit a Q&A with EP Alumna Idrissa Simmonds-Nastili, Director of the Pahara Institute’s NextGen Network. Idrissa talks about what Pahara looks for in leaders, why diversity in the most senior levels of leadership in education is crucial for excellence and equity in education, and why all education leaders must have a “heart and mind for listening and learning."

Several years ago, I was at a big Education Pioneers networking event in Chicago when I felt a strong presence near me. I turned to see a friendly face that I hadn’t seen for over 15 years. “Tshilumba!” I called out with joy. I was reunited with one of the 20 seniors I taught as a first-year teacher at St. Jude High School in Montgomery, Alabama. Since then, Tshilumba had gone on to receive several degrees, worked as an engineer and group leader at Kraft Foods, and launched a promising career in education. (As a Broad Resident at Chicago Public Schools, he worked with a number of Education...

Ever heard “it’s cheaper to keep a current customer than to acquire a new one”? Well, the same is true for employees. Losing one of your team members can cost you an estimated 90% to 200% of their annual salary. If you want to keep your best people on board, you have to invest in them with the 4 “Cs” of Employee Retention: Compensate, Commend, Challenge, and Career.

D’Artagnan Scorza is the definition of a hero—even though he’d likely never agree with that title. When the Twin Towers fell on 9/11, in response to that terrible, defining moment, D’Artagnan left college to enlist in the U.S. Navy. And ever since he returned from Iraq, he has been working to transform his community, for it was his community that first transformed him.

I suspected that becoming an EP Fellow would be critical for my career, but I didn’t expect to be in a meeting alongside my personal heroes just a few weeks in. So how did I wind up in the same small room in the White House as Marian Wright Edelman (founder of the Children's Defense Fund), Education Secretary Arne Duncan, John King (Secretary Duncan’s deputy, a former commissioner of education for the State of New York, and current Acting Secretary), Stacey Stewart (President/CEO of United Way-Americas), Michael Smith (head of the President's My Brother's Keeper Initiative), and Roberto...