The Broad Residency Curriculum

Professional Development Sessions
Over the course of the two-year program, Broad Residents attend professional development sessions covering the following topics:

Context of Urban Education
  • The history of urban education
  • Achievement gaps
  • Federal policy
  • Standards-based instruction
  • Characteristics of high performing schools

System-Wide Levers for Change
  • Active management of instructional improvement
  • Accountability and empowerment of schools
  • Redesign of critical functions, such as budgeting and human resources

Change Management
  • Stakeholder mapping and engagement
  • Adaptive leadership and communication
  • Influence using formal and informal authority
  • Initiating and sustaining large-scale change initiatives

Leadership Skill Development
  • 360-degree feedback from colleagues
  • One-on-one executive coaching sessions

 

Sample Professional Development Session Agenda
The purpose of this session is to provide Residents with a common understanding of standards-based instruction, which has been the major instructional reform in American public schools over the last few decades. This session will also provide an understanding of how districts and CMOs support strong instruction at the school and system-level.

Assignments:
  • Visit a high- and low-performing school in your organization, using school walkthrough guide to take notes

Day 1:
  • Welcome and check-in
  • Debrief of school visits
  • Interactive workshop on standards-based instruction

Day 2:
  • Visits to high-performing district schools
  • Long Beach Unified School District presentation on how the central office supports good instruction system-wide
  • Overview of Broad Foundation funding
  • Dinner and networking with Broad Foundation staff
  • Keynote remarks from Broad Foundation Founder Eli Broad

Day 3:

         District Residents
  • Discussion on entry planning assignments
        Charter Residents
  • School visit to high performing CMO
  • Discussion with CMO on how central office supports good instruction, especially given growth

 

Presenters
The Broad Residency draws on a variety of education leaders to share their practical experience in leading change in urban school systems. Past presenters include:


Russlynn Ali, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, United States Department of Education; Former Executive Director, Education Trust-West Michael Bennet, United States Senator; Former Superintendent, Denver Public Schools Chris Cerf, Deputy Chancellor, New York City Department of Education Arne Duncan, United States Secretary of Education; Former CEO, Chicago Public Schools Michelle Rhee, Chancellor, District of Columbia Public Schools Don Shalvey, Senior Program Officer, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Former CEO, Aspire Public Schools Chris Steinhauser, Superintendent, Long Beach Unified School District Adam Urbanski, President, Rochester Teachers Association Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers; Former President, United Federation of Teachers