Posted on August 31, 2010

Broad Foundation Awards $20 Million to Broad Center for Management of School Systems

The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation has announced a $20 million grant to the Broad Center for the Management of School Systems to continue recruiting, training, placing, and supporting school district leaders nationwide.

The award comes on the heels of an evaluation of the Broad Superintendents Academy, a ten-month executive management training program that works to prepare prominent leaders from the education, military, business, nonprofit, and public sectors to lead urban public school systems. The evaluation found that 67 percent of academy graduates who have served as superintendents for three years have improved student achievement faster than leaders of other districts in their states; the rate increases to 80 percent among graduates who have served as superintendents for four years. The graduates' districts, which generally serve a large number of low-income students, still lag wealthier suburban districts in overall performance, however.

"We started the Broad Academy because we believed that strong leadership and management would lead to student achievement gains, and we are pleased to see our graduates making progress," said Eli Broad, founder of the Broad Foundation. "Leading a school district is the toughest job in America, but these dedicated individuals from diverse backgrounds are demonstrating that with a singular focus on students, it is possible to transform entire school districts into effective public institutions that show results."