Education Pioneers Reaches Major Milestone: 10,000 Applicants in Four Years

In 2012, 4,000 top leaders apply to prestigious Fellowships; 400 to be selected as new education leadership Fellows

OAKLAND, Calif., May 16, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Education Pioneers, a national nonprofit that attracts top talent to transform education into the best led sector in the U.S. to ensure that all students receive a high-quality education, announced today that since 2008, it has received over 10,000 applications for its prestigious Fellowship programs.

"Ten thousand applicants is an incredible milestone for Education Pioneers," said Scott Morgan, Founder and CEO of Education Pioneers. "As we work to advance our goal to transform education into the best led and managed sector in the U.S. economy, I am inspired to see the caliber and volume of emerging leaders who want to apply their passion and skills to dramatically improve K-12 education in our nation."

This year, more than 4,000 top graduate students and early-career professionals applied to participate in the Education Pioneers Graduate School Fellowship, with 10-week and yearlong options, and the 10-month Analyst Fellowship, a nearly 45 percent increase in applications over last year. Year after year, MBA students continue to apply to the Graduate School Fellowship in large numbers; in 2012, MBA students represented 24 percent of applicants.

Education Pioneers also continues to see significantly increasing demand for its Analyst Fellowship, with a more than 150 percent increase in applications over last year. Launched in 2010, the Analyst Fellowship was designed in response to demand for more highly-skilled analytical talent within public education.

This summer, Education Pioneers will welcome over 400 new leaders to make an immediate impact in the education sector through the selective Fellowships, an admissions rate of approximately 10 percent.

Fellowship applicants hail from top graduate programs including the Stanford Graduate School of Business and Columbia University Teachers College, and from top employers such as Teach For America and McKinsey and Company. Education Pioneers Fellows' knowledge and experience include strategy, finance, operations, data analysis, marketing, human resources, curriculum design, policy analysis, and law. Fellows bring their unique skill sets to more than 160 education organizations nationwide through the Fellowships.

"Education Pioneers was my top and only choice for the summer," said Catherine Robbs, an MBA student at Harvard Business School and former Senior Associate Consultant at Bain and Company. "I am passionate about education reform, and Education Pioneers will provide me with the opportunity to understand different functional areas in education, learn where I can apply my skills most effectively, and deepen my education network for long-term impact."

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

In less than a decade, Education Pioneers has grown into a thriving national organization operating in 16 cities with a network of over 1,200 leaders and partnerships with more than 160 education organizations. Education Pioneers has significantly expanded the talent supply in education through its Fellowship programs and by connecting Fellowship Alumni to high-impact careers in education.

To realize the goal of transforming education into the best led and managed sector in the U.S. economy, Education Pioneers aims to develop 10,000 new education leaders and managers by its 20th anniversary in 2023.

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.  

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