Education Pioneers Opens Applications for 2013 Fellowships

Top Professionals Sought by National Nonprofit to Transform Education into the Best Led and Managed Sector in the U.S.

OAKLAND, Calif., Oct. 23, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Education Pioneers, a national nonprofit dedicated to transforming education into the best led and managed sector in the U.S. economy so that all students receive a high-quality education, announced today that applications for the organization's 2013 Fellowships are now open.

Education Pioneers is seeking talented early career professionals, graduate students, and trained business analysts for education leadership Fellowships in school districts, charter management organizations (CMOs), and top education nonprofits. Fellowship opportunities are available for 10 weeks in the summer, 10 months, and one year.

"To scale success in education system-wide, we need thousands more top leaders and managers supporting the important work of teachers and principals," said Scott Morgan, Founder and CEO of Education Pioneers.  "Through our Fellowships, Education Pioneers closes the leadership gap in the education sector and provides the human capital that is essential to advance our vision of providing all students with a high-quality education."

The Graduate School Fellowship (with 10-week summer and yearlong options) and the 10-month Analyst Fellowship are education leadership development programs, created to provide our nation's top emerging leaders with entry into rewarding education leadership and management careers outside the classroom, to prepare these leaders to lead, and to ensure that school districts, charter school organizations, state and federal agencies, and education nonprofits have the human capital they need to provide all students with a high-quality education.

Key results from 2012 Fellowships from both Education Pioneers' Fellows and Partner organizations demonstrate the impact and quality of the Fellowships.  For the 2012 Graduate School Fellowship, nearly all Partner supervisors (96%) believe that their Fellows' work will be used in the long-term to improve the efficiency or effectiveness of their program or department.  Moreover, nearly all of 2012 Fellows and Partners (95% and 98% respectively) reported that Fellows are more prepared for a high-impact career in education as a result of their Education Pioneers Fellowship.  Fellows' overall satisfaction with the Fellowship remains high, and 99% of 2012 Fellows would recommend the Fellowship to their peers.

For the 2011-2012 Analyst Fellowship, 100% of Analyst Fellows and Partner supervisors would recommend the Fellowship to a friend, colleague, or another organization.  Additionally, 93% of Analyst Fellows reported that they are more prepared for a high impact career in education as a result of the Fellowship, and 100% of Partner supervisors are confident in their Fellows' knowledge of education issues.  All Partner supervisors (100%) rated their Fellows' overall performance and quality of work as excellent or good, and the majority (87%) said that their Fellow increased the effectiveness or efficiency of their department.

Now entering its 10th year, the Graduate School Fellowship provides top graduate students and recent graduates from business, law, policy, and education programs with 10 weeks or one year of high-impact consulting work with education organizations. The Analyst Fellowship, created to meet the demand for more data expertise in education, places early-career professionals with analytic experience into education organizations for 10 months to manage important data projects. All Fellowships also provide structured professional development workshops, connection to industry leaders and experts, and support to help Fellows launch education leadership careers across the sector.

During their work at Partner organizations, Education Pioneers Fellows help implement or advance important initiatives outside of the classroom that directly support teaching and learning success inside of the classroom. Fellows also work alongside industry experts and a cohort of peers, and learn about key education challenges to deepen their understanding of the complexities of K-12 public education. Beyond their Fellowships, nearly 70% percent of Education Pioneers Alumni have chosen to continue in full-time leadership positions in the education sector.

In 2013, Education Pioneers expects to select and place over 530 Graduate School and Analyst Fellows with more than 160 education organizations nationwide, including large public school districts, charter management organizations, and top education nonprofits.

The Fellowships' selection process is extremely competitive. In 2012, Education Pioneers received over 4,000 applications for approximately 400 Fellowships, an admissions rate of 10 percent.  For detailed information on candidate requirements and the Fellowships, please visit: http://www.educationpioneers.org/becoming-a-fellow.

To encourage more talented emerging leaders to apply to the Fellowships, Education Pioneers will host numerous recruitment events. For a complete list of recruitment events, visit http://www.educationpioneers.org/becoming-a-fellow/recruiting-events.

Candidates may apply online at: www.educationpioneers.org.

Graduate School Fellowship application deadlines: October 26, 2012 (Early Decision for Houston, Dallas, and Los Angeles only); December 12, 2012 (Priority); and February 1, 2013 (Final).

Analyst Fellowship application deadlines: February 15, 2013 (Priority) and April 10, 2013 (Final).

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.

More information about Education Pioneers can be found at www.educationpioneers.org.

SOURCE Education Pioneers