Smart List: 20 Teacher & Leader Developers, 10 School Improvers

Getting Smart is acknowledging people and organizations making a difference with a series of back to school top 10 lists. During August we will run about 40 ‘best of’ lists, not in order, not exhaustive, just people we appreciate.

Today we are recognizing 10 human capital builders, 10 leadership developers, and 10 school improvement providers.

Human Capital Resources

• Bloomboard: online teacher development system  

• Teachscape: maximizing teacher effectiveness

• Opportunity Culture: models for leveraging great teaching with technology

• Teach For America: placing talented teachers in America’s neediest schools

• National Council on Teacher Quality: reform advocates

• TNTP: provide excellent teachers to the students who need them most

• Center for Urban Teaching: prepare and support high performing urban teachers

• Charter Board Partners: recruiting and training charter board members

• Education Pioneers: placing professional school students in districts

• Leading Educators: leadership development for highly effective teachers

Leadership Development

• Broad Academy: superintendent & cabinet training for nontraditional candidates

• New Leaders: develops transformational school leaders in partner cities

• Building Excellent Schools: trains entrepreneurs to start charter schools

• Woodrow Wilson Fellowship Foundation: closing gaps by training leaders

• Relay GSE: innovative independent NYC grad school training teachers

• KIPP School Leadership Program: developing KIPP leaders

• Harvard GSE: innovative leadership development program

• Columbia Summer Principals Academy

• School Leadership Network: transforming school leadership

• Teach For America: also a leader in leadership development

School Improvement

• Pearson School Improvement Services: formerly America’s Choice

• Re-Inventing Schools Coalition: leaders in competency based learning

• Turnaround for Children: counteracting the effects of poverty (see feature)

• School Improvement Network: online PD and more

• EDWorks: subsidiary of KnowledgeWorks Foundation

• Matchbook Learning: blended turnaround

• Mass Insight: what works in turnaround

• Michigan Education Achievement Authority: Innovative blend (see feature)

• Tennessee Achievement School District: recruiting the best

• Louisiana Recovery School District: turned around NOLA

PREP-KC deserves honorable mention in this category; over the last 8 years this best practice sharing collaborative has helped fuel metrowide improvement in Kansas City (featured here).

What would you add to the list?

Pearson is a Getting Smart Advocacy Partner.  Bloomboard is a Learn Capital company.