Partners in School Innovation

Derek Mitchell. Born and raised in Chicago, Derek attended Pomona College in Claremont, CA and later earned a PhD in Educational Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles. While at UCLA, Derek worked at the Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards and Student Testing (CRESST), helping to pioneer school and district information management systems and data-driven technologies. Derek then served as… See full bio.

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	Total Revenue: $3,092,532

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Story: What is the founding story for Partners in School Innovation? Partners in School Innovation was founded in 1993 with the aim of eliminating the racial achievement gap in public education. Co-founders Julien Phillips, a former Peace Corps Volunteer and McKinsey & Co. partner, and Kim Grose, a Rhodes scholar and social justice advocate, recognized the need for major institutional change in the educational system. They believed deeply in the potential of talented and civic-minded individuals to foster that change. As a result, they began a model to create systemic improvements in low-performing schools by enlisting the support of AmeriCorps members, or “Partners.” Over a decade later, more than 200 AmeriCorps Partners have graduated from their program, completing a combined total of more than 400,000 hours of service. They believe in the power of change agents to drive systemic reforms to eliminate low performance in high-need schools. In 2005, they began developing a new kind of change agent: School Innovation Partners (SIPs). SIPs are outstanding former urban educators (principals and teachers) who have combined their classroom and leadership experience with a passion for leading school improvement. All their SIPs are deeply committed to closing the achievement gap and come to them with rare qualities which equip the SIPs for the challenge. Not only are the SIPs skilled educators, but the SIPs are also reflective practitioners who bring humility, results-orientation and a powerful focus on social justice to the work of school transformation. In 2006, Partners in School Innovation successfully transitioned away from the AmeriCorps program to the School Innovation Partners. With the SIPs' experience and drive, Partners in School Innovation's team of SIPs enable schools to become even more vibrant and equitable learning environments for all students. Since Partners in School Innovation's founding, they have partnered with over 10 districts and 50 schools serving over 65,000 students, teachers and principals. (Learn more about Partners in School Innovation at: http://www.partnersinschools.org/about/history.html)

Evidence of Impact Summary:

Partners in School Innovation engage leaders at site and district levels to align in turning around the lowest performing schools. While they are a leadership initiative, their metrics have always been based in making gains in student academic performance. Literacy results of partner schools that Partners in School Innovation supports have increased and outperformed similar districts. One can see the direct results in the Applied Materials/San Jose Unified School District programs.
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Organization Strengths Summary:

Experts repeatedly note top-level leadership strength alongside staff quality. Partners In School Innovation also receives consistent praise on the operations and program design fronts.
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Areas for Improvement Summary:

A couple experts note either insufficient access to policy leaders or contacts lost in the midst of leadership transition. Others note concerns over retaining quality while scaling programs and improving fundraising.
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Born and raised in Chicago, Derek attended Pomona College in Claremont, CA and later earned a PhD in Educational Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles. While at UCLA, Derek worked at the Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards and Student Testing (CRESST), helping to pioneer school and district information management systems and data-driven technologies. Derek then served as the Director of Technology and Student Achievement for the Oakland Unified School District where he addressed equity-related challenges in assessment, technology and achievement. Subsequently, he joined the Stupski Foundation and managed efforts to support district-wide reform across the country, including in districts such as Jackson Public Schools in Mississippi and the Baltimore City Public Schools System in Maryland. Most recently, as Executive Director of the Opportunity Zone in Prince George's County in Maryland, Derek has been leading critical efforts to instill innovative school options as a core component of district-wide reforms.

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