FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 18, 2021
Contact for Education Pioneers:
Terrence Kneisel
VP, External Relations
[email protected]
Education Pioneers Scales Fellowship Program to Accelerate Equitable Pandemic Recovery in K-12
Nonprofit seeks 40+ education data analysts and strategic project managers for 2021-2022 Impact Fellowship
Boston, MA – Education Pioneers (EP), a national nonprofit that builds the leadership and management capacity of the K-12 public education sector, announced plans to improve and grow its Impact Fellowship by 75% given the urgency of COVID-19 pandemic recovery. Applications for interested candidates are now open at www.educationpioneers.org.
The organization is seeking 40+ new, diverse professionals who are eager to use their data analysis and strategic project management skills to help the education sector recover from COVID-19 disruptions and rebuild more equitably. The fourth cohort of the Education Pioneers Impact Fellowship, a 10-month leadership development program, is scheduled to begin in Fall 2021.
“Much attention is focused on how we get schools back to ‘normal’ after COVID-19, but ‘normal’ is not sufficient,” said Melissa Wu, CEO of Education Pioneers. “Over the last year, the pandemic has exacerbated longtime inequities in education and introduced new traumas. Strong and representative leadership is required to disrupt the status quo and create a more equitable future for our most marginalized students. Education Pioneers is prepared to help grow K-12’s leadership and management capacity, beginning by recruiting and developing more rising leaders this year.”
Launched in January 2018, Education Pioneers’ Impact Fellowship catalyzes early career leaders while adding critical capacity to school districts, charter school organizations, and other education support organizations nationwide. Twenty-three rising leaders currently participate in the Impact Fellowship’s third cohort; they serve twenty organizations across the country. Education Pioneers plans to recruit 40+ new leaders to serve during the 2021-2022 school year, growing the cohort 75% in response to the need to rebuild school systems.
“Education Pioneers provides exceptional analytic and strategic capacity that enables us to support school system clients with planning and implementing in today’s unique context,” said Valerie Faillace, Chief of Strategy at Attuned Education Partners, a current Impact Fellowship host. “Future Fellows would help us ensure that equity remains central to the education sector’s COVID recovery.”
During the program, Impact Fellows complete a 10-month paid work placement with a leading education organization, where they apply targeted data and strategic project management experience to support organizational initiatives. Simultaneously, Fellows engage in cohort-based professional development where they gain skills, mindsets, and orientations that can help them accelerate equity and excellence throughout their careers.
“As we consider what is next in education, it’s critical that leaders who will shape the future know how to lead inclusively, build bridges in diverse communities, and scale solutions that work,” said Tracy Session, Chief Impact Officer at Education Pioneers. “The EP Impact Fellowship is an ideal stepping stone for talented professionals who want to do meaningful and urgent work today, while building leadership skills that will last through tomorrow.”
Fellows become part of Education Pioneers’ nationwide network of education leaders, which includes 4,500 Alumni at all stages of their careers – 70% of whom continue to work in education following their EP Fellowship and 50% of whom self-identify as leaders of color.
Professionals interested in the Impact Fellowship can learn more on Education Pioneers’ website at www.educationpioneers.org/ImpactFellowship. Candidates who have at least two years of work experience in strategy, data analysis, or project management, a track record of professional success, and a commitment to Education Pioneers’ core values and mission to make education a lever for equity can apply at www.educationpioneers.org/apply. The priority deadline is April 6, 2021.
Organizations who would like to host an Impact Fellow may indicate interest at www.educationpioneers.org/partner.
About Education Pioneers
Education Pioneers builds the pipeline of leaders outside the classroom who enable teachers and students to be successful inside the classroom. Since 2003, Education Pioneers has recruited and trained over 4,500 leaders in partnership with more than 900 education organizations nationwide.
Of the organization’s Alumni in the workforce, more than 70% serve in education and lead or contribute to work that impacts public school students in major cities across the nation, most of whom are students of color and growing up in underserved areas. Learn more: www.educationpioneers.org/our-impact.
