(NDG Wire) The ED-Entrepreneur Center is a one-of-a-kind partnership between the Teaching Trust, co-founded by Rosemary Perlmeter and Ellen Wood, and SMU Simmons School of Education and Human Development under the leadership of Dean David Chard. The center is designed to develop a portfolio of innovative programs that supports effective and energized educators in high need schools.
“Many schools have unique challenges that can’t be addressed in a ‘one size fits all’ preparation program, no matter how strong it is. By preparing leaders with the knowledge, tools, and strategies that are essential to improving schools, the Education Entrepreneur Center at SMU will be responsive to school districts and charter networks aiming to improve education opportunities for all children,” said Dr. Chard.
The ED-Entrepreneur Center addresses the need for effective leaders in high need schools and will bring an entrepreneurial mindset to the field of education to transform schools. The most important in-school factors driving student achievement are effective principals and teachers.
Contributing partners include Uplift Education and Dallas ISD. Both organizations recognize the need for deepening the pipeline of strong urban school leaders especially for secondary schools. With our community partners, the ED-Entrepreneur Center will equip leaders to use these new strategies in order to drive student achievement.
The ED-Entrepreneur Center recently opened offices at Expressway Tower and announces the hiring of two new members to its leadership team – A. Tracie Brown, Director of Leadership Programs and Chris Bhatti, Director of Development and External Affairs. Brown has 15 years’ experience in Dallas ISD as a high-performing teacher, dean and principal. She has had first-hand experience in the skills and resources necessary to transform a school in a high need area. Bhatti is a recent graduate from SMU’s Cox School of Business and former school teacher at The Hockaday School. He has experience as an entrepreneur through founding an educational consulting company and being a part of other start-up companies.
Recently, the George W. Bush Institute announced an alliance with the ED–Entrepreneur Center at SMU and other partners to undertake one of the largest initiatives in history to reform education by improving the performance of America’s principals.
Mrs. Laura W. Bush, joined on stage by Dr. David Chard, Dean of SMU Simmons School of Education and Human Development made this announcement on Wednesday morning at North Dallas High School to an auditorium filled with educators, business leaders, philanthropists and civic leaders.
A current list of the programs included in the Bush Institute public announcement are:
- Dallas, Texas—Ed-Entrepreneur Center, SMU Simmons School of Education, Teaching Trust, Uplift Education, Dallas ISD
- Plano, Texas—Plano ISD, UT Dallas
- Fort Worth, Texas—Fort Worth ISD
- Denver, Colorado—Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL), University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business
- St. Louis, Missouri—Saint Louis University Cook School of Business
- Indianapolis, Indiana—Indiana Department of Education, Marian University
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