Education Pioneers Bringing 75 Education Leader Fellows to Newark

The Foundation for Newark's Future invests $224,000 towards Newark expansion

NEWARK, N.J., June 11, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- When Alex Duff, an MBA Student at the Tuck School of Business (Dartmouth) was accepted as a Fellow through the Education Pioneers program he was excited for the opportunity it offers to gain more insight into the education sector. Alex is originally from Newark and is particularly looking forward to returning, and to giving back to his city.

Education Pioneers recently won a $224,000 grant from the Foundation for Newark's Future, the largest investment in the New York City region for the organization to date. The Foundation for Newark's Future will support Education Pioneers' growth in Newark to promote excellence in public education there, by attracting, preparing, and advancing top education leaders and managers. A total of 75 new Fellows will be added over the next three years, with top talent specifically seeking placement in Newark. While Education Pioneers operates in cities across the country, the Newark-based cohort will nearly double as a result of this grant, rivaling its New York City counterpart as the fastest growing cohort in the area.

The goals of this initiative are bold but as far as Education Pioneers Founder and CEO, Scott Morgan is concerned, "this is what we do!" And they are doing it in Newark. "Our goal is to build a pipeline of leadership talent to support the efforts of individual schools, school groups, and innovative education initiatives. When we build on the leadership capacity of proven talent with a demonstrated commitment to giving all children excellent educational opportunities it's the best investment we can make in our education systems," said Morgan.

For the next three months and then in subsequent summers, Education Pioneers with the support of the Foundation for Newark's Future, will match talented graduate students with an expressed passion for education issues and a commitment to serve at non-profits, government agencies and other education institutions in Newark. The 75 Fellows will provide over 12,000 hours of highly-skilled leadership and management talent to advance initiatives in Newark. With plans to focus on sustainability, Education Pioneers will maintain solid relationships with their current partners and create new relationships with education leaders in Newark.

Education Pioneers Alumni have already found their way to Newark. Lori Morea, of the 2010 New York cohort, has gone on to work as the School Business Administrator at People's Preparatory Charter School--one of the fastest growing charter schools in New Jersey and an Education Pioneers partner. Before joining Education Pioneers, Lori had never considered the possibility of a career in education, but during her placement at the NYC Department of Education, she "fell in love with the kids" and has since decided to dedicate her career to improving educational outcomes for students in Newark. Nationally, nearly 70% of Education Pioneers Alumni work full-time in the field of education.

"Education Pioneers Fellows at NJ LEEP have provided an infrastructure development windfall.  Most educators are stretched very thin dealing with the everyday issues of instruction, assessment, and student and family management," said Craig Livermore, Executive Director, NJ LEEP, Inc. "NJ LEEP's Education Pioneers Fellows have provided skilled and essential long range planning and curriculum development to impel the organization to greater levels of quality."

Now with the Newark cohort expanding, Education Pioneers will be able to match a growing interest many young professionals have in working in the city. "Newark has so much to offer young professionals and in particular those with interest in dedicating their time to education. Newark families, schools and education organizations deserve top-talent and we are delighted to support Education Pioneers in strengthening that pipeline," said Greg Taylor, President of the Foundation for Newark's Future. "With our commitment to short-term philanthropy and long-term impact this program is an ideal match for our priority areas and we are delighted to support their growth which will have a direct and positive effect on Newark's education institutions."

An impressive list of partnerships has been established and each of the organizations and their fellows is looking forward to increasing their combined impact through these new connections. The list includes:

• Big Brothers and Big Sisters
• E3: Excellent Education for Everyone
• Foundation for Newark's Future
• Ireform
• New Jersey Charter School Association
• Newark Education Trust
• Newark Public Schools
• NJ LEEP, Inc.
• NJ State ED
• Roseville Community Charter School
• TEAM Charter Schools
• TFA Newark
• TNTP
• Uncommon Schools
• University Heights Charter School
• Victory Education Partners-100 Legacy Charter Academy
• YouthBuild Newark

About Education Pioneers
Education Pioneers mobilizes and prepares a national network of talented leaders and managers to accelerate excellence in education and transform our education system into one that equips all students with the skills they need to thrive in college, career, and life. Through the organization's Fellowship and Alumni programs, Education Pioneers increases the talent supply of top leaders in education to improve the leadership capacity in key education organizations – such as school districts, charter school organizations, and nonprofits – and to advance our goal to make education the best led and managed sector in the U.S. economy.

Visit Education Pioneers at www.educationpioneers.org.

SOURCE Education Pioneers