Anne EidelmanJournal #1
My first week, which was last week, is a blur. I started with two days of “Foundations” orientation through Education Pioneers, whose strategy for impact is to “Develop incredible talent to meet existing needs in K-12 education while building the field of leaders to close the talent gap and transform urban education.” I genuinely enjoyed and got a lot out of the two days of workshops, speakers, networking events in the evening and activities. It was so exciting to be surrounded by other graduate students (MBA, JD, MPA, MEd, etc) from around the country who are similarly dedicated to improving the public education system. I was inspired by our group’s collective energy and am really looking forward to getting to know the 44 other NYC Ed Pioneers through workshops and events this summer. This will definitely be a powerful and integral part of my summer experience.
On Wednesday, I started at the KIPP Foundation, which is the national headquarters for the largest national network of free, open-enrollment, college-preparatory public schools with a track record of preparing students in underserved communities for success in college and in life. In my Columbia Business School application essay, I had written about meeting folks from KIPP and potentially working there during and after my two years at Columbia Business School. Therefore, this is particularly exciting for me to have been placed here. Also, during the school year, I had interned at the KIPP-NYC office (different from the KIPP Foundation); it is an excellent opportunity to work on the ‘macro level’ for the next few months after gaining a solid understanding of how the Shared Services Team operates at the regional level.
This summer I will be working on several projects, most notably a “Single Site Sustainability Analysis” where I will be analyzing the resources required to help support single sites, as well as creating a finance dashboard to help the organization have a high level understanding of each schools’ financial situation.
Last week KIPP conducted an orientation for two other Education Pioneers and me who will be working there for the summer. As well, I read a lot of documents and conducted myriad conversations to get up to speed on the organization and my two main projects. I have been extremely impressed and appreciative of how organized, smart and helpful people have been. I am very excited about the opportunity to think about growth strategy and finance this summer, two areas of particular interest to me.
Journal #2
I just finished week six of my summer internship at the KIPP Foundation, through Education Pioneers. I have really enjoyed the Education Pioneers experience. There are weekly workshops throughout July during which the NYC Cohort (45 members) come together to discuss case studies, engage in hands-on activities, and listen to panels related to key education reform topics. Topics, thus far, have included: quality teachers and leaders, increasing the pipeline of excellence; urban school districts; driving improvement through local reform; and students and families, best practices of serving urban youth. These workshop days have become a highlight of my summer.
My fellow cohort members are smart, accomplished graduate students from across the country who have proven themselves successful in myriad sectors, including education. I am learning an immense amount from the varied perspectives and am building a strong, broad network of people who undoubtedly will become leaders in the education field in the years ahead. I look forward to continuing to grow these personal and professional relationships during the rest of the summer and in the years ahead. I am grateful to be working with very smart, dedicated people, including Lisa King and Erin Ewart, former CBS graduates.
While I am working on several initiatives, my main project is related to assessing the resources needed by KIPP’s single site schools. Last week, I had an opportunity to attend the KIPP School Leadership Program, which is a month-long training program for new KIPP principals and school leaders. I sat in on the two-day School Finance session, which I found tremendously helpful and insightful. The session covered topics related to sources of school funding, drivers of financial sustainability, and operations of schools.
Also, last week, Richard Barth, the CEO of the KIPP Foundation, spent an hour talking with all Ed Pioneer Fellows (there are several throughout the country working at KIPP) and summer interns (all of whom are KIPP alumni). It was a rare opportunity to hear from and ask questions of one of the premier leaders in the education reform movement. I sincerely appreciated the opportunity to hear Richard’s passion for the charter movement and to hear his thoughts on how KIPP is affecting the education landscape.
Journal #3
With only three days left of my internship at the KIPP Foundation and my Education Pioneers Fellowship Program officially completed as of Friday, it is with amazement at how fast this summer flew by that I write this final journal entry.
Last week, we had two big Education Pioneers events: The Annual Showcase and the capstone event. At the Showcase, held on Tuesday night at the Manhattan Penthouse, Fellows had an opportunity to network with Ed Pioneers Alumni, members of partner organizations and funders. In addition to speeches by Fellows in our cohort, we had the opportunity to hear from the founder of the Newark Charter School Fund. The night was a tremendous experience that ceremoniously capped our formal Fellowship experience. On Friday, we spent a day at a hotel in Long Branch, New Jersey where we engaged in conversations about work-life balance and career trajectories in the education reform sector and shared and heard individual feedback with our Innovative Action Project groups. Overall, the day was a perfect way to formally end our summer experience together. In all my years of group work in a professional setting, I have never enjoyed the productivity, learning and fellowship that I experienced this summer with my Education Pioneers cohort. It was a truly an experience that will travel with me for a lifetime.
This week, I will be finishing up two of my major projects. Namely, I will be completing a presentation that includes my recommendations based on the findings of my resource assessment for individual schools. In addition, I am writing a memo that includes my findings and suggestions on how to proceed with the Network Services Management tool that I had been developing. It is hard to believe that my internship is coming to an end. Having written about the KIPP Foundation in my Columbia Business School application essay two years ago, the opportunity to learn how the organization works from an internal perspective has been a professional dream come true. I am grateful that I worked with smart and passionate team members who helped to create an environment where I felt valued.
Now, I am looking forward to entering my second year at CBS where I am excited to focus my energy on elective classes and extra-curricular activities that will help me to continue my own personal pursuits in the education reform movement.
