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Peter Leonard, a master's student in the SESP Learning Sciences program, was awarded an Education Pioneers Fellowship. Education Pioneers, a nonprofit organization focused on transforming K-12 urban education, selects top graduate students across the nation to support nonprofit partners and build a national leadership network.

For his fellowship, Leonard will work with the Chicago New Teacher Center to develop professional development modules for new teachers in Chicago Public Schools (CPS). Leonard says, "I applied for an Education Pioneers fellowship because it provided me an opportunity to do high-impact work in the education sector."

The mentoring modules that he will help to develop will be used in new teacher induction for Chicago Public Schools. "The resources will assist mentors in their work with new teachers, providing tools and strategies aligned with the CPS Framework for Teaching and the Common Core State Standards," he explains. "I am excited to help develop the talent and capabilities of Chicago's educators."

The Education Pioneers Fellowship Program provides high-achieving graduate students in business, education, law, public policy and other programs with an opportunity to make an impact with an education organization. Together with other fellows, Leonard will participate in professional development geared toward better understanding of key education issues and learning from leaders who are already making a difference in the field.

Read the full article from Northwestern University

This article from The Economist features EP Alumna Kristin Groos Richmond, Co-Founder and CEO of Revolution Foods. Revolution Foods serves 1 million healthy school meals a week to nearly 1,000 schools across the country.

Biting commentary: A new company is trying to make school meals healthier

The day a girl fainted from hunger was the final straw for Emmanuel George, the principal of Democracy Prep charter school in Harlem. She had refused to eat the "nasty food" served at his school. Her distaste was shared widely: many went hungry, and those who did eat mostly chose junk food. So in January Mr George switched to a supplier of healthy lunches called Revolution Foods. Since then the proportion of children choosing to accept free meals has gone from less than half to over 85%. Visits to the school nurse plummeted, and complaints of stomach-ache and headaches have almost vanished. Teachers say everyone works better in the afternoons.  

Read the article at The Economist.

Education nonprofit opens New Orleans office

By Kari Dequine Harden

New Orleans bureau

April 30, 2013

NEW ORLEANS - An Oakland, Calif., education nonprofit organization with a focus on recruiting and training management-level educators recently announced the opening of an office in New Orleans.

Education Pioneers plans on training 80 new education leaders, managers and analysts by 2015, starting with a group of 15 new recruits in June.

The group was founded in 2003 and has offices in seven other cities.

John Troy, regional director for Education Pioneers, said that the leaders outside the classroom "support the great work the teachers do each and every day."

Troy called public education a "major ecosystem complex" and said the positions for which candidates are recruited nationally range from finance directors and curriculum designers to people opening new charter schools and others working to ensure that state and national-level policies are working on a local level.

Read the full article at The Advocate