Summer Internship Series

Nick Cox
New York City Department of Education, via Education Pioneers

Organization
I spent the summer in the New York City Department of Education. I worked in the Office of Portfolio Management (OPM), which drives structural changes to the Department’s 1,700 schools in order to tackle systemic inequities in access to high quality schools. I was placed at the Department through the Education Pioneers program, which recruits around 700 grad students each summer to work in education organizations (e.g. government departments, charter management organizations, education tech companies).

My Role
The core of my daily work was managing six school change proposals. When the DOE proposes a significant change in school utilization – like opening new schools, closing underperforming schools, or grade expansions of existing schools - a certain legal process must be followed that provides the public information about the proposal, and allows for consultation. The OPM completes an EIS, a 10 – 20 page document that outlines the proposal and how it will affect other schools and community organizations in the building, and students in the district and city. The EIS also required me to analyze school performance, enrollment patterns, and access to special programs.

Overall Experience
The placement provided a very interesting perspective on the U.S. education reform movement, with the OPM being at the heart of New York’s education reform efforts. OPM managed controversial issues (for example, co-locations, de-zoning, charter school openings etc.), which have a far higher media and political profile than what I had realized. The New York and national media filed stories concerning about OPM’s work most days. Ed Pioneers was a real highlight—it was a great introduction to the U.S. education sector, with near-weekly workshops to discuss issues, and a focus on networking.

Opportunities
Education Pioneers have a well-defined recruiting process, involving: an online application: a timed online case (mine comprised developing a business plan); a phone interview; a half-day group interview; and an interview with the proposed placement organization. They actively recruit out of SIPA (five SIPA students participated in Summer 2013) and visit in the Fall semester. Most DOE summer interns were Ed Pioneers (there were around 20 of us), and the DOE explicitly uses the program to identify and recruit new staff.

More Information
Education Pioneers Graduate School Fellowship: http://www.educationpioneers.org/summergraduateschoolfellowship
NYC DOE Office of Portfolio Management: http://schools.nyc.gov/community/planning/default.htm