New Leaders for New Schools

New Leaders for New Schools
Name	New Leaders for New Schools
Formation	2000
Founder	Michelle Rhee
Type	Nonprofit organization
Headquarters	New York City

New Leaders for New Schools

New Leaders for New Schools is a nonprofit leadership development organization focused on preparing principals and school leaders. Founded in 2000, it operates across urban districts and charter networks in the United States, partnering with municipal agencies and philanthropic foundations. The organization works with educators, district offices, university programs, and school boards to place leaders in high-need schools.

History and Founding

The organization was established in 2000 by Michelle Rhee with initial collaborations involving New York City Department of Education, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Wallace Foundation, Robin Hood Foundation, and local partners in New York City. Early expansion involved programmatic ties to Boston Public Schools, Chicago Public Schools, Los Angeles Unified School District, Philadelphia School District, and Denver Public Schools. Over time, alliances included major institutions such as Columbia University, Harvard University Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, and regional partners like Teach For America and The Broad Foundation.

Mission and Programs

The stated mission centers on recruiting, training, and placing principals in underperforming schools, with programming developed alongside actors such as U.S. Department of Education, Council of the Great City Schools, New York City Teaching Fellows, Baltimore City Public Schools, and charter operators including KIPP, Uncommon Schools, and Success Academy Charter Schools. Core offerings have included principal preparation academies, instructional leadership coaching, residency models, and selective placement initiatives tied to metrics used by entities like National Alliance for Public Charter Schools and Education Trust. Program design drew on research from RAND Corporation, Institute of Education Sciences, American Institutes for Research, and policy analysis from Brookings Institution.

Leadership Development Model

The model emphasizes selective recruitment, clinical preparation, and performance-based placement informed by frameworks used by McKinsey & Company education consultants, The New Teacher Project, and Dale Farrington-style talent pipelines. Key components include residency internships in district and charter schools, mentorship by veteran principals, data-driven instructional leadership, and accountability contracts aligned with district turnaround strategies from actors such as U.S. Secretary of Education offices and municipal mayors like Michael Bloomberg and Rahm Emanuel. Partnerships with graduate schools such as Bank Street College of Education and Teachers College, Columbia University supported credentialing pathways.

Impact and Outcomes

Evaluations have cited placement of principals into turnaround school contexts within districts like Detroit Public Schools Community District, Cleveland Metropolitan School District, and St. Louis Public Schools, with outcome studies using metrics from National Assessment of Educational Progress, state departments such as New York State Education Department and California Department of Education, and research partners including Mathematica Policy Research. Reported outcomes included changes in student achievement on standardized assessments, principal retention rates, and school climate indicators used by Office for Civil Rights reporting. Independent analyses by groups like Annenberg Institute for School Reform and Center on Education Policy produced mixed findings regarding long-term impact.

Funding and Partnerships

Financial support came from philanthropic investors and public agencies including Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Ford Foundation, and city contracts with offices such as City of New York. Corporate and nonprofit partners included The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, JP Morgan Chase, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Walton Family Foundation, and collaborations with education nonprofits like NewSchools Venture Fund, The New Teacher Project (TNTP), and Charter Schools USA. Funding streams also intersected with workforce development grants from federal programs administered by U.S. Department of Education grants offices and state grantmakers.

Criticisms and Controversies

Critics cited concerns about alignment with high-stakes accountability regimes promoted by figures such as Diane Ravitch opponents and policy debates involving No Child Left Behind Act and Every Student Succeeds Act. Commentators from Democratic lawmakers and education scholars including Jonathan Kozol and Linda Darling-Hammond raised questions about principal preparation depth, turnover in turnaround contexts, and relationships with charter networks like KIPP and Success Academy Charter Schools. Controversies involved debates over performance pay, principal dismissal policies used in districts such as New Orleans Public Schools (post-Katrina) and scrutiny of fundraising ties to donors like Eli Broad and Bill Gates amid broader disputes over privatization, accountability, and urban school reform.

Category:Nonprofit organizations based in New York City