"MAP the GAP" Confronts Dearth of Leadership Talent in Public K-12 Education

SAN FRANCISCO, April 29, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- MAP the GAP, an EdFuel study released today at the New Schools Venture Fund Summit in San Francisco, issues a clarion call for education organizations and policy makers to invest in leadership development at every level.

According to the report, the continued structural transformation of the U.S. system of urban public schooling will require a new generation of leaders beyond the classroom. New education models and a focus on results have created proof points around the country, which must now be taken to scale by a new wave of talented, innovative, and civic-minded men and women.

"As demand for new and innovative schools begins to snowball, there is a real threat of a leadership talent gap," said Jimmy Henderson, CEO, EdFuel. "MAP the GAP vividly shows that talent is the scarce resource that could define the success or failure of this inspiring movement."

Conducted by EdFuel with research support by Bellwether Education Partners, MAP the GAP was intended to quantify the demand for senior- and mid-level talent across the education reform ecosystem and to raise awareness of career opportunities beyond the classroom.

Among the key findings of MAP the GAP:

• The education reform sector will need to fill at least 32,000 senior and mid-level leadership roles beyond the classroom by 2023 (based on an analysis of the 50 largest U.S. cities);
• Talent is required at every level and functional area, with highest demand for business operations, executive leadership, finance and data management roles;
• Leadership in the new ecosystem requires an increasingly complex set of competencies in every role, yet most organizations lack a sophisticated understanding of how to prepare team members for this environment;
• Schools and education organizations will need to improve their ability to recruit, onboard, train and retain top talent; and
• Talent development must be a policy priority for city leaders, and should be explicitly owned by an entity or coalition to ensure success.

"We have to invest in the talent development that fully prepares the best and the brightest to have the greatest impact in the education sector," said Allison Fansler, Chief Operating Officer for KIPP DC. "There is no time to waste when we are talking about the future of countless children in this country."

MAP the GAP was conducted with support from The Walton Family Foundation, which has also provided initial launch funds for EdFuel.

ABOUT EDFUEL: EdFuel is a new non-profit organization with the mission to attract, develop, and retain the next generation of leadership for the rapidly evolving K-12 education reform sector. Learn more at www.edfuel.org.  

SOURCE EdFuel