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

Summer Internship Series

Brittney Davidson (MPA 2014)
UNICEF
New York

My Organization: This summer, I was hired to work within UNICEF’s Education Sector. Currently, UNICEF is working with the rest of the UN to develop a mid-term strategy plan. The 2015 agenda is coming to a close, so the organization is evaluating results, re-prioritizing, and strategizing for post-2015.

My Role: Inclusive education has moved to the top of UNICEF’s agenda. Their recent 2013 State of the World’s Children Report highlighted the inequities that children with disabilities face in receiving a quality education. This is particularly important because in many developing countries, or in countries affected by conflict, there exists a disproportionately high number of children with disabilities. My job was to 1) Analyze Country Office reports to evaluate what UNICEF had done thus far in regard to inclusive education, and to research whether those efforts had been successful, 2) Research education programs that other non-UN organizations were pursuing to compile a database of best practices to inform the post-2015 education agenda, and 3) Uncover and analyze innovations for education worldwide.

I enjoyed…: I was given a lot of responsibility and autonomy. Therefore, I was able to pursue a lot of opportunities within the project. For example, I was able to conduct interviews with top-level people at Save the Children, USAID, and Perkins International.

I didn’t really enjoy…: Being stuck at a desk all day. I know this is typical for many jobs, but due to the bureaucracy of the UN system, I could often feel siloed. Also, while having independence was great, I think I would have been able to grow more with more feedback. My unit was very busy this summer, and managers often left for vacation or work abroad, leaving me without much guidance.

Summer Internship Series: EdVillage

Catalina Diez (cd2603 MPA 2013)
EdVillage
Washington DC, USA

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During the past summer I did my internship in a local NGO called EdVillage (www.edvillage.org). EdVillage is an international education nonprofit organization. It identifies and supports transformational school models and education entrepreneurs around the world that seek to provide a high-quality, university preparatory education to children from economically disadvantaged communities. They do this by providing world-class school leadership training and specialized school start-up and improvement services. Their current work is focused mainly in South Africa and India.

Summer Internship Series: The Millenium Villages Project

Debi Spindelman (des2162, MDP 2013)
The Millenium Villages Project
Mbola, Tanzania

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Organization: The Millennium Villages Project (MVP) is a project of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, the United Nations Development Programme, and Millennium Promise. Consisting of 13 original "case study" villages across Sub-Saharan Africa, the MVP seeks to develop a set of best practices in approaches to ending extreme poverty and meeting the Millennium Development Goals. The Millennium Villages aim to promote an integrated approach to rural development. By improving access to clean water, sanitation and other essential infrastructure such as education, food production, basic health care, and by focusing on environmental sustainability, Millennium Villages claims to ensure that communities living in extreme poverty have a real, sustainable opportunity to lift themselves out of the poverty trap.

Summer Internship Series: The DREAM Project

Cory Fox (caf2152, MIA 2013)
The DREAM Project
Dominican Republic

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