Donald Mitchell

Applications are due February 1 for The Broad Residency in Urban Education, a national leadership development program that places participants in full-time paid managerial positions at the top levels of urban school districts, charter management organizations and the U.S. Department of Education.

Broad Residents assume highly visible roles reporting to superintendents or other senior leaders. They earn starting salaries of $85,000 to $95,000 with full benefits. The major projects they lead require top-notch analytical skills and the ability to manage projects and teams. Working within the system, participants are well positioned to lead the transformation required to ensure that every American child receives a world-class education.

For example, Donald Mitchell, at left, currently serves as the special assistant in the Office of the Deputy Secretary at the U.S. Department of Education. During his Broad Residency from 2007-09, he served as special projects officer for Prince George’s County Public Schools, a district with more than 135,000 students and 200 schools. Prior to joining the Residency, he worked at Microsoft Inc. as a group product manager.

Broad Residents have doubled the number of ready-to-hire teachers in critical areas such as math, science and reading; reduced the cycle time for textbook purchasing by three months, assuring that schools now receive 98 percent of textbooks before the start of school; and managed a charter organization’s growth from three to 500 employees

At the same time they are placed, Broad Residents receive two years of intensive professional development and join a national network of education.

The Broad Residency is funded by The Broads Foundations, which also fund the The Broad Superintendents Academy to place prominent leaders into urban school districts to improve the education of students.