Uncategorized | October 20, 2017

Following successful first year, The Mind Trust renews partnership to provide next-level training to Indy’s school leaders

Indianapolis – Following an inaugural year that exceeded high expectations, The Mind Trust has launched the second year of its partnership with the Relay Graduate School of Education, a nationally recognized, nonprofit graduate school of education that provides next-level training and leadership development for educators, principals, and school systems leaders.

With support from the Indianapolis-based Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation, The Mind Trust sponsors and funds Indianapolis school leaders to enroll in Relay’s National Principals Academy (NPA) Fellowship and National Principal Supervisors Academy (NPSA).  In response to high-demand and stellar reviews from participants in the program’s first year, The Mind Trust plans to sponsor at least 12 school leaders this year.

“We believe that dedicated, talented school leaders are one of the most important ingredients for creating and sustaining great schools,” said David Harris, founder & CEO of The Mind Trust. “The Mind Trust’s partnership with Relay gives talented school leaders from across Indianapolis access to nationally-respected professional development and enables them to continue honing the leadership skills essential to leading great schools.”

“At Relay, we’re thrilled to partner with The Mind Trust to welcome a new cohort of talented school leaders from Indianapolis into the National Principals Academy and the National Principal Supervisors Academy,” said Dean Jesse Rector.  “Together, we are committed to ensuring that local leaders have the support they need to build and grow excellent schools.”

The NPA/NPSA program is an intensive, one-year program focused on instructional school leadership.  All participants will attend one 12-day summer session and four additional weekend “intersessions,” during which they 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.

Thanks to the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation’s support, The Mind Trust will sponsor and fund at least 12 participants for the second cohort, which begins in Summer 2018. In selecting participants, The Mind Trust will focus on leaders within school systems or charter networks that will launch the greatest number of new schools and impact the most students.

“The research is clear: highly effective school leaders have a significant, positive impact on student learning,” said Claire Fiddian-Green, President & CEO of the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation. “That’s why we are pleased to support The Mind Trust’s partnership with the Relay Graduate School of Education, and their work to strengthen and expand the school leadership talent pipeline in Indianapolis.”

Application & selection.  To apply for the program, participants must hold full-time leadership positions with a school or school system – such as principal, assistant principal, department head or lead teacher.  The Mind Trust is seeking applicants who have the motivation and work ethic to continue refining their craft as a leader and who have a strong sense of personal responsibility and belief as it pertains to student learning.  The Mind Trust also encourages cohorts of leaders from the same school or network to apply to increase the impact on their students. Where applicable, application teams that include a strong principal manager (e.g. CEO, Chief Academic Officer, etc.) who has the ability to influence leaders across multiple locations will strengthen the overall application.

Application materials may be found online at themindtrust.org or by contacting Joe White at jwhite@themindtrust.org.  The final application deadline is January 31, 2018, and final participants will be announced in late Spring.

About The Mind Trust

The Mind Trust is a nonprofit striving to give every Indianapolis student access to an excellent, high-quality public school.  The Mind Trust does this by through recruiting and empowering top talent, launching and supporting new, innovative and high-quality public schools in Indianapolis, and engaging community stakeholders in conversations about innovation in public education.

Since 2006, The Mind Trust has supported or incubated 17 schools, attracted and placed more than 1000 teachers and school leaders, and raised more than $73 million to bring innovative ideas into Indianapolis classrooms. More information can be found at www.themindtrust.org.

About Relay Graduate School of Education

The Relay Graduate School of Education is a national, accredited, nonprofit institution of higher education whose mission is to teach teachers and school leaders to develop in all students the academic skills and strength of character needed to succeed in college and life. Now serving nearly 3,000 teachers in 15 cities and more than 430 leaders nationwide, Relay is eager to bring about transformational change in educator preparation. Relay is committed to using practice and feedback to become the place where a new generation of continuously improving, results-focused individuals can fulfill their destiny in the world’s greatest profession. For more information, please visit the Relay website (www.relay.edu) or follow Relay on Twitter (@RelayGSE).

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