The Broad Center

The Broad Center is a nonprofit leadership development organization founded in 2002 to train executives for urban school systems and educational institutions. It operated programs for school district and charter management, aiming to prepare leaders for roles analogous to chief executive positions, policy posts, and administrative offices. The organization engaged with a range of partners across the United States and was associated with national debates involving influential figures and institutions.

History

The organization was established by Eli Broad in 2002, following Broad’s philanthropic work alongside organizations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Walmart Foundation, and Ford Foundation. Early activities intersected with major reform efforts led by leaders like Randi Weingarten, Arne Duncan, Michelle Rhee, Joel Klein, and John Deasy. Its timeline overlapped with policy developments such as the No Child Left Behind Act, the Race to the Top (education) competition, and local initiatives in districts including Los Angeles Unified School District, Chicago Public Schools, New York City Department of Education, Atlanta Public Schools, and New Orleans Public Schools. The Broad Center’s growth paralleled collaborations with institutions like Harvard University, Stanford University, University of California, Los Angeles, University of Southern California, and Teachers College, Columbia University while engaging think tanks such as the Brookings Institution, Heritage Foundation, Center on Education Policy, and Progressive Policy Institute.

Programs and Initiatives

Programs included leadership academies modeled for roles comparable to superintendent-level appointments and chief executive functions within school systems, drawing applicants from districts such as Philadelphia School District, Dallas Independent School District, Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Denver Public Schools, and Seattle Public Schools. The organization offered fellowships and executive training tied to performance metrics used by entities like the U.S. Department of Education and influenced practices associated with charter networks including KIPP, Success Academy Charter Schools, Uncommon Schools, and Green Dot Public Schools. It ran initiatives around talent pipelines, performance management, and finance drawn from models used by Teach For America, The New Teacher Project, National School Boards Association, and Council of the Great City Schools. Partnerships included municipal actors such as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and Mayor Gavin Newsom in citywide reform discussions.

Organizational Structure and Leadership

Governance featured a board of directors and executive staff with ties to philanthropic and corporate leaders like Eli Broad, Ronald Lauder, Laurence Fink, Henry Kravis, and executives from corporations including Walt Disney Company, Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo, and Chevron Corporation. Senior program officers and alumni included individuals who moved into posts alongside figures such as Arne Duncan, Randi Weingarten, Michelle Rhee, Joel Klein, John King Jr., and Raegen Miller at school systems, state departments like the California Department of Education, Florida Department of Education, and federal institutions such as the U.S. Department of Education. The center collaborated with academic partners including Harvard Graduate School of Education, Stanford Graduate School of Education, and Columbia University to align curricula with executive preparation standards.

Funding and Financials

Primary funding derived from Eli Broad’s philanthropy and grants connected to foundations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Annenberg Foundation, Walton Family Foundation, and corporate philanthropy from entities like Walmart Foundation and Koch Industries (operations). Financial stewardship involved endowment management practices similar to those at institutions like Johns Hopkins University, University of Pennsylvania, and The Rockefeller Foundation. Grantmaking aligned with initiatives funded through public-private partnerships seen in programs by the U.S. Department of Education and state education agencies in California, New York (state), and Illinois.

Criticisms and Controversies

The organization was subject to scrutiny from teachers’ unions such as the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association and criticism from advocacy groups including Democracy Now!, Center for Popular Democracy, and Good Jobs First. Critics linked its model to contentious reform agendas pursued by leaders like Michelle Rhee and Joel Klein, contested by journalists and scholars writing for outlets and institutions including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, ProPublica, Education Week, Annenberg Institute at Brown University, and Teachers College, Columbia University. Controversies involved debates over superintendent turnover in districts such as Los Angeles Unified School District and Chicago Public Schools, charter expansion conflicts in New Orleans, allegations of outsized philanthropic influence similar to critiques of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation strategies, and legal or policy disputes invoked in cases heard by courts like the California Supreme Court and overseen by agencies such as the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.

Category:Educational organizations in the United States