New Leaders for New Schools
Encyclopedia
New Leaders is an American
non-profit organization
that aims to recruit and train school leaders who focus on improving education results for poor and minority students. It also aims to promote system-level policies and practices that provide support to these leaders. The organization was founded in 2000 as New Leaders for New Schools by Jonathan Schnur and a group of teachers and investors. Research from the Harvard Business School
and RAND corporation has found that principals from the New Leaders program have "outperform[ed] their peers". , the initiative operates in 12 cities across the United States.
; Ben Fenton, former management consultant at McKinsey & Co.; Mike Johnston, a former Teach for America corps member; Allison Gaines, a former New York City public school teacher; and Monique Burns, an education-reform advocate specializing in charter schools. The idea was developed while the group was attending graduate school at Harvard University
as an approach to the impending shortage of school principals nationwide.
In 2000, the concept was a finalist in the Harvard Business School's annual business plan contest, the first non-profit submission to earn such recognition. Following the contest, New Leaders received funding offers and was able to formally begin operation.
By 2001, New Leaders had chosen and trained the first 15 participants to serve as urban school principals. That year the program launched in New York City
, Chicago
and the Aspire Public Schools charter network in Northern California
. The program later expanded into other areas, including Washington, D.C.
late in 2001, Memphis
in 2004, New Orleans and Milwaukee in 2007, and Charlotte
in 2008. According to the organization, more than 250,000 students in the United States have been enrolled in schools with New Leaders , and the program has resulted in measurably raised student achievement and high school graduation rates.
that aims to ensure high academic achievement for students in poverty and students of color by training school leaders to drive improvement in schools with low test scores and high poverty rates. It also aims to advance policies and practices that allow these leaders to reach their goals.
, according to New Leaders' website, it has broadened its program offerings aiming to reach more students and expand its scope. In addition to training new principals, New Leaders has established programs to develop leaders throughout school systems and is also working with school systems to build policies and practices that support those leaders. Its new programs and services include: the "Emerging Leaders" program, providing leadership training for teachers; the "Principal Institute" learning network that provides training and support to New Leader principals once on the job; "Leadership Development Services", providing leadership skills training for administrators; and "Policy and Practice Services", working with school systems to develop supportive leadership policies and practices.
The organization is funded by private-sector contributions, public sources and venture philanthropists, such as New Profit Inc.
and the New Schools Venture Fund.
New Leaders measures the impact on student performance through comparison of their principals' results to other schools in their systems to assess whether students in New Leaders' schools outperform similar students. It found that graduation rates in New Leaders' high schools are substantially higher than district graduation rates. New Leaders also focuses on the performance of the program in transforming participating schools, and cites results showing that New Leader schools were twice as likely to have significantly improved student proficiency test scores in 2009, compared with other schools.
In 2009, New Leaders received an "Innovations in American Government" award from the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
that aims to recruit and train school leaders who focus on improving education results for poor and minority students. It also aims to promote system-level policies and practices that provide support to these leaders. The organization was founded in 2000 as New Leaders for New Schools by Jonathan Schnur and a group of teachers and investors. Research from the Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School is the graduate business school of Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, United States and is widely recognized as one of the top business schools in the world. The school offers the world's largest full-time MBA program, doctoral programs, and many executive...
and RAND corporation has found that principals from the New Leaders program have "outperform[ed] their peers". , the initiative operates in 12 cities across the United States.
Creation and history
New Leaders for New Schools (now "New Leaders") was founded in 2000 by a group including Jonathan Schnur, former education policy analyst for President Bill ClintonBill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
; Ben Fenton, former management consultant at McKinsey & Co.; Mike Johnston, a former Teach for America corps member; Allison Gaines, a former New York City public school teacher; and Monique Burns, an education-reform advocate specializing in charter schools. The idea was developed while the group was attending graduate school at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
as an approach to the impending shortage of school principals nationwide.
In 2000, the concept was a finalist in the Harvard Business School's annual business plan contest, the first non-profit submission to earn such recognition. Following the contest, New Leaders received funding offers and was able to formally begin operation.
By 2001, New Leaders had chosen and trained the first 15 participants to serve as urban school principals. That year the program launched in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and the Aspire Public Schools charter network in Northern California
Northern California
Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...
. The program later expanded into other areas, including Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
late in 2001, Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
in 2004, New Orleans and Milwaukee in 2007, and Charlotte
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
in 2008. According to the organization, more than 250,000 students in the United States have been enrolled in schools with New Leaders , and the program has resulted in measurably raised student achievement and high school graduation rates.
Mission
According to its mission statement, New Leaders is a non-profit organizationNon-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
that aims to ensure high academic achievement for students in poverty and students of color by training school leaders to drive improvement in schools with low test scores and high poverty rates. It also aims to advance policies and practices that allow these leaders to reach their goals.
Training and placement
New Leaders has developed partnerships with public school systems and charter schools in selected cities, where the program's participants are placed into leadership-position vacancies in elementary, middle and high schools. The organization relies on nominations to help identify potential "New Leaders", and candidates complete a four-step application process, with emphasis on selecting experienced professionals who demonstrate a variety of strengths, including leadership and communication skills. Each participant is provided with hands-on training through a one-year residency in an urban public school, where they are mentored by a veteran principal. Following completion of the residency, the participant applies for an open position. When applicants enroll in the New Leaders principal training program, they are required to a make at least a three-year commitment to serving as a principal or assistant principal in these districts, and they continue to receive support and guidance from New Leaders once they accept a position., according to New Leaders' website, it has broadened its program offerings aiming to reach more students and expand its scope. In addition to training new principals, New Leaders has established programs to develop leaders throughout school systems and is also working with school systems to build policies and practices that support those leaders. Its new programs and services include: the "Emerging Leaders" program, providing leadership training for teachers; the "Principal Institute" learning network that provides training and support to New Leader principals once on the job; "Leadership Development Services", providing leadership skills training for administrators; and "Policy and Practice Services", working with school systems to develop supportive leadership policies and practices.
The organization is funded by private-sector contributions, public sources and venture philanthropists, such as New Profit Inc.
New Profit Inc.
New Profit Inc. is a venture philanthropy fund based in Boston, Massachusetts. With the support of individual donors, and its partner, Monitor Group, New Profit provides multi-year financial and strategic support to a portfolio of social entrepreneurs working in education, youth development, public...
and the New Schools Venture Fund.
Impact
In its first eight years, 95% of participants in the New Leaders program went on to hold leadership positions in urban schools. The RAND Corporation evaluates every principal from the New Leaders program using precise metrics on what improvements students have made and how results in New Leader placement schools compare with other schools. At a substantial majority of these schools, the preliminary findings have shown that there is marked improvement. The RAND Corporation data shows schools led by New Leader principals have made gains at a higher rate than the national average, and their dropout rate has declined. A report published by New Leaders identified five key factors that it stated appear to be essential in the task of quickly turning around poorly performing public schools. According to the report, principals who have overseen dramatic student improvements have tended to focus on instituting achievement-based learning and teaching, improving the school culture, placing the right people in the right roles, managing the facilities and operations properly, and leading by personal example.New Leaders measures the impact on student performance through comparison of their principals' results to other schools in their systems to assess whether students in New Leaders' schools outperform similar students. It found that graduation rates in New Leaders' high schools are substantially higher than district graduation rates. New Leaders also focuses on the performance of the program in transforming participating schools, and cites results showing that New Leader schools were twice as likely to have significantly improved student proficiency test scores in 2009, compared with other schools.
In 2009, New Leaders received an "Innovations in American Government" award from the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government
John F. Kennedy School of Government
The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University is a public policy and public administration school, and one of Harvard's graduate and professional schools...
.
Geographic reach
- BaltimoreBaltimoreBaltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, established 2005 - Charlotte, North CarolinaCharlotte, North CarolinaCharlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
, established 2008 - ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, established 2001 - Memphis, TennesseeMemphis, TennesseeMemphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, established 2004 - Milwaukee, established 2007
- Greater New OrleansNew Orleans metropolitan areaNew Orleans–Metairie–Kenner, or the Greater New Orleans Region is a metropolitan area designated by the United States Census encompassing seven parishes in the state of Louisiana, centering on the city of New Orleans...
, established 2007 - New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, established 2001 - NewarkNewark, New JerseyNewark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
, established 2008 - Prince George's County, MarylandPrince George's County, MarylandPrince George's County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland, immediately north, east, and south of Washington, DC. As of 2010, it has a population of 863,420 and is the wealthiest African-American majority county in the nation....
, established 2007 - San Francisco Bay AreaSan Francisco Bay AreaThe San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
, established 2001 - Washington, D.C, established 2002
Executive team
As of 2011 the following individuals hold positions on the executive team of New Leaders.| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Jean Desravines | Chief Executive Officer |
| Benjamin Fenton | Chief Strategy Officer and Co-Founder |
| Dianne Morse Houghton | Chief Operating Officer |
| David Kuizenga | Chief Administrative Officer |