The Mind Trust to sponsor first cohort of Indy school leaders for intensive training at national education school

The Mind Trust to sponsor first cohort of Indy school leaders for intensive training at national education school

Indianapolis – The Mind Trust has selected its first ever class of Indianapolis school leaders for the National Principals and Principal Supervisors Academy Fellowship, a partnership with the Relay Graduate School of Education to help local school leaders excel as educators and managers.  Relay is a nationally recognized, nonprofit graduate school with programs and partnerships across the country.

With financial support from the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation and the Laura and John Arnold Foundation, The Mind Trust partnered with Relay to bring this fellowship opportunity to Indianapolis educators.  As such, The Mind Trust is sponsoring up to a class of ten to 15 Relay Fellows per year for three years with a focus on leaders in school systems or charter school networks that will launch the greatest number of new schools and impact the most students.

Fellows must hold a full-time leadership position within a school or school system – such as principal, assistant principal, department head or lead teacher.

The 2017-18 Fellows, who will begin the academy this summer, are:

• Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS)
  • Lloyd Bryant, director of principal development
  • Susan Kertes, principal, Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary School 58
  • Bakari Posey, principal, James Whitcomb Riley Elementary School 43
• Neighborhood Charter Network (Enlace Academy & Kindezi Academy @ Joyce Kilmer 69)
  • Andrew Karr, assistant school leader, Kindezi Academy
  • Kevin Kubacki, founder & executive director
  • Shanae Staples, founding school leader, Kindezi Academy
• KIPP-Indianapolis
  • Casandra McLeod, assistant school leader, KIPP Indy College Prep Middle School
  • Ellen Reuter, school leader, KIPP Indy Unite Elementary School
  • Jason Schall, chief academic officer
• Global Preparatory Academy @ Riverside 44
  • Mariama Carson, founder & principal
  • Liset Gonzalez-Acosta, dual language & instructional coach
  • Mari Dandie, instructional coach
• Paramount School of Excellence
  • Kyle Beauchamp, principal
  • Tommy Reddicks, executive director

“One of The Mind Trust’s primary goals is to recruit talented educators, provide them with world-class training and resources and put them in the position to excel,” said David Harris, founder & CEO of The Mind Trust.  “This new fellowship will help already successful educators in Indianapolis become even more effective principals and school leaders that will better lead, teach and serve the students in our community.”

About the fellowship.  Relay’s National Principals and Principal Supervisors Academy is a nationally recognized fellowship that supports current school leaders serving in public district and charter schools across the country.  Now in its fourth year, Relay is training more than 400 leaders from 24 states and the District of Columbia and 85 school systems to improve the lives of more than 300,000 students across the United States.

The one-year fellowship begins with a rigorous, two-week summer intensive and continues with four intersessions throughout the school year where fellows focus on Relay’s key instructional pillars: observation and feedback, data-driven instruction, positive student culture of high expectations, adult professional development, instructional planning, an aligned staff culture and strategic leadership.

“Our educators are talented and dedicated.  They work tirelessly to encourage and inspire our students to prepare them for a successful future,” said IPS superintendent Dr. Lewis D. Ferebee.  “We are thankful to The Mind Trust and Relay, as well as the Fairbanks and Arnold foundations, for helping us provide opportunities to further develop our leaders and ultimately enhance our capacity to increase student achievement.”

“At Relay, we know that school leaders are critical to improving outcomes for all kids, and we’re excited to welcome a cohort of fellows from Indianapolis into our programs in the coming year,” said Jesse Rector, dean of Relay School Leadership Programs.