Yale SOM Welcomes New Master’s in Public Education Management Cohort
The group of 31 emerging leaders in education includes high-level administrators from large, urban, public district and charter schools systems throughout the U.S.
Thirty-one emerging leaders from urban K-12 school systems across the United States convened in New Haven in July for the first residency week of the 14-month Master’s in Public Education Management program at The Broad Center at the Yale School of Management. The program’s 2023-24 cohort spent the week engaging with one another and with Yale SOM faculty to develop the tools they need to center equity and excellence and make sustainable, measurable impact in their school systems. They also shared their personal experiences and challenges in candid presentations called Leadership Stories.
Across the week, the cohort took courses led by Yale SOM faculty including Education Policy for System Leaders, Strategic Communication, Managerial Decision Making, Strategic Negotiations, and Program Planning & Evaluation.
Mark Paik, senior executive director of data, assessment, and accountability for Detroit Public Schools Community District, said he especially appreciated the real-world applicability of what he learned in Education Policy for System Leaders, co-taught by Richard Lemons and Shana Young: “Professor Lemons and Professor Young designed an experience that fully complements what we bring to the table and put us in situations where we could engage in broader discussions on heavy policy issues—all while making the readings more concrete.”
Raymie Fernandez, managing director of operations for Dream Charter Schools in New York City, agreed: “The group discussions on the reading and the policy design practice in small groups… helped me put the theories being discussed into application. This helped me walk away with a better understanding of the policy process and a better understanding of where on that process I need to improve.”
Yvonne Williams, regional director of operations at Achievement First in New York City, said she valued the deep connections she began to build during the first residency week. “I have not had the opportunity to engage with peers and ‘learn for the sake of learning’ in many years. I am indebted for being able to do so through The Broad Master’s program.”
This was the first of five residence weeks for students in the program; they will return to New Haven in mid-October. Students continue to work full-time while completing the degrees.