Talent in Action

What a great day. Today, Education Pioneers announced 27 remarkable Education Pioneers Alumni who are being considered for EPic Alumni and the Scott Morgan Award recognition -- including $15,000 in awards to advance their leadership or their organization. Like so many of the 3,000+ Pioneers in our network, these leaders work every day to change outcomes and opportunities for underserved students, and to bring equity to public education. We’re thrilled to introduce them to you and to showcase their work. And today, we opened public review of and voting for our 27 EPic candidates ! Between now...

EP Fellow Ivan Rahman writes, "It seems to me that we habitually let the urgency of our work—of lesson planning, grading, teaching, strategizing, and so on—harbor us from delving into critical big-picture discussions. I’m talking about the kind of discussions that force us to pause and reflect on the systemic variables that shape the lives of the youth we serve."

Today, in honor of teachers everywhere, we’ve rounded up some of what our Pioneers have said about teachers. Tweet on and share the love:

It would be unreasonable to ask our doctor to fix our leaking faucet, or to expect our accountant to settle our legal disputes. We don’t because doctors, lawyers, and accountants are experts in their respective fields, and the idea of asking them to be something that they are not is ludicrous. The same logic applies to those in the education profession.

When a job is more than just a job: Wilma Franco's story.

At EP, we’re always impressed by our Pioneers. The work they do, their commitment and dedication to changing outcomes for underserved students—that’s the stuff that keeps us at EP doing the work we do to help support and grow their careers.

Jacqueline Greer (2006 EP Fellow) has built an impressive career in education. Now serving as the Executive Director, DC for Urban Teachers , Jacqueline’s expertise in human capital has enabled her to lead a team that has supported over 300 teachers who reach over 9,300 students in 53 Washington, DC schools. In this Q&A she shares her insights on human capital in education.

In this Pioneer Profile with Christie Imholt (Program Manager, Teacher Leadership & Career Pathways at Denver Public Schools and 2015 EP Fellow, Denver), she talks about why the leaders who inspire her most have both an aspirational vision and a strategy to realize it; what it was like to be in the room with President Obama and hear him talk about education and work she contributed to; and why teaching—which requires an exceptional level of knowledge and skill—should be a profession to aspire to.

Last week, the spring 2016 cohort of Pahara Institute's NextGen Network was announced--and two EP Alumni, Lisa Ahn and Jelani McEwen were selected. This week on the EP blog, we revisit a Q&A with EP Alumna Idrissa Simmonds-Nastili, Director of the Pahara Institute’s NextGen Network. Idrissa talks about what Pahara looks for in leaders, why diversity in the most senior levels of leadership in education is crucial for excellence and equity in education, and why all education leaders must have a “heart and mind for listening and learning."

About a week ago, a handful of Education Pioneers Fellows and Alumni had the opportunity to participate in an “Agents of Change” dinner in New York’s Financial District. At these annual local events, Education Pioneers brings together leaders from across education organizations to share their perspectives, insights, and experiences from their work in the field. As an EP Fellow and someone who is relatively new to education, I appreciated the opportunity to learn from seasoned change-catalysts about what helped them excel. Four must-knows I learned about entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship.