Position:
New Urban Learning Intern
NUL Network:
University Yes
Academies (UYA)
State Date:
Fall 2012
Location:
Detroit, Michigan
The Challenge
The 150,000 school age children living in Detroit are the
poorest educated children in America by nearly every measure. On
the NAEP or Nation's Report Card, Detroit's students performed
lower than any other American city and produced the lowest scores
in the history of the assessment in reading and math. A recent
study by Michigan State University put the real four-year
graduation rate for Detroit children entering the 9
<sup>th</sup>
grade at 32% -- 20% for boys!
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne
Duncan has declared Detroit "ground zero" in urban education in
this country Detroit's children are not only the worst educated,
they are the poorest in any big city in America.
Overwhelmingly, Detroit has an African American population where
more than 80% are eligible for free or reduced-priced lunch, an
indicator of poverty revealing that more than two-thirds of
Detroit's children have no future that holds any hope. Excellent
Schools Detroit, a broad civic coalition formed to confront this
challenge, recently issued a much heralded report setting forth a
bold and direct response to this urgent challenge: Close low
performing schools in Detroit and open new high performing
schools-fast. To answer this call, New Urban Learning is seeking
a passionate, talented leader to join the team and lead a
high-performing network of schools in Detroit.
About New Urban
Learning
New Urban Learning (NUL) is a non-profit charter management
organization launched approximately twelve years ago by Doug Ross
in Detroit and has been a leader in student achievement in the
region. NUL and its schools are designed to send students to
college at rates equal to or greater than the most affluent
suburban schools. New Urban Learning manages three separate
networks of schools for a total of seven college preparatory
schools serving students in grades K-12 including its flagship
district, University Prep, and University Prep Science and Math,
and our newest network University Yes. Currently, there are more
than 2,000 students attending New Urban Learning schools in
Detroit.
Partnership with Yes
Prep
In 2010, Chris Barbic, founder and CEO, of Yes Prep Schools in
Houston partnered with NUL to found University Yes Academy (UYA)
in Detroit. The school's inaugural sixth grade class has
approximately 94 students, and is expected to add a grade each
year until it reaches full capacity of 775 students in the fall
of 2016 when the first class will graduate and go to college.
Agnes Aleobua, a Teach for America alumnus with charter school
leadership experience, was selected jointly by Yes Prep and NUL
to serve as the school's founding principal.
Active efforts are underway to
acquire a K-5 school to improve the preparedness of the children
entering the sixth grade, and there has been significant interest
by community groups who would like to see University Yes expand
to other parts of the city.
Job Description
Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer of New Urban
Learning, Interns of the University Yes Academy (UYA) network
will be expected to work in collaboration with the CEO to develop
UYA charter system schools into world-class schools that prepare
100% of their students to be accepted into selective colleges or
universities by successfully managing student achievement,
talent, strategy and expansion, and external affairs. The Intern
will manage a project of great impact for our organization to
ensure dramatic academic achievement gains, strong school
culture, and alignment with the Yes Prep model. The Intern will
be required to present their completed project at the end of the
internship to the CEO and leadership team.
Internship
Responsibilities and Supports
New Urban Learning Interns have the following
responsibilities:
• Participate in professional development sessions
• Develop a roadmap that will guide your development over the
course of the internship
• Hold weekly check-in meetings with the CEO
• Maintain a journal with weekly entries detailing your
development in specific leadership
competencies
• Read and engage with specific assigned instructional
leadership literature
• Engage in monthly competency-based professional development
phone conferences with the
YES School Leadership Programs team
• Successfully complete the assigned project and present it to
the leadership team at the end of the program
New Urban Learning Interns will receive the following
supports:
Your Project Manager will:
• Coach and develop you toward reaching your goals, as
established in your project roadmap
• Assess your growth and development throughout the program
against your designated project model and selection rubric
• Provide you with leadership responsibilities which enable
you to develop educational management skills
• Take part in weekly check-in meetings to discuss all aspects
of your leadership development
• Allow you to attend Professional Development sessions
• Provide relevant ongoing feedback on your leadership
development
• Plan and participate in Professional Development
sessions
• Conduct scheduled check-in with you
• Evaluate the project that you present at the end of the
program
Qualifications
Required knowledge, skills, abilities and experience include:
• Data-driven; ability to assist CEO and leadership team
• Exceptional ability to motivate and influence others
• Solid analytical and communication skills
• A Commitment to continuous learning and improvement
• A deep belief that all children - regardless of race or income
- can succeed at high levels; and
• A sense of fun
Education/Certification
At minimum, currently pursuing a Bachelor's Degree
(required).