Through a new program in the Kelley School of Business, it’s now teachers’ turn to learn.
Fifteen Indiana educators this year are enrolled to earn an MBA. The new program allows teachers that already have a few years of experience to pursue an education in leadership.
“I would describe it as another access path for high-performing teachers across the state of Indiana to gain the skills and knowledge necessary to serve in administration and management roles across public education,” Director John Wisneski said.
The business school’s new course began this summer thanks to support from the Woodrow Wilson MBA Fellowship in Education Leadership program. IU is one of the five colleges in the nation to be part of this program.
In spring 2014, Kelly School of Business Dean Idalene Kesner and former School of Education Dean Gerardo Gonzalez put together a plan to start the MBA for Educators program at IU. The idea, when approved, was funded by a grant from the nonprofit Woodrow Wilson foundation that aids newly developing educational programs.
“We’re trying to get a different lens, a different way we approach education,” Associate Director Anne Ottenbreit-Leftwich said.
Educators admitted are provided with scholarships to pay for tuition and materials. In return, recipients are required for the next three years to serve in leadership roles. Three educators, teachers or administrators are chosen from their district.
“They have to be in one of the five districts we partner with,” Ottenbreit-Leftwich said. “We talk with the superintendents first, and then we invite the individuals of the district.”
To be accepted into the program, recipients must have 3 to 4 years of experience within the classroom and their undergraduate degrees. In addition, they must be nominated by the district’s superintendent.
“We’re looking for those fellows who really view themselves as having a career in education and really want to step up to the plate in having a leadership role,” Wisneski said.
Besides learning new skills, students also build new relationships with other educators they might not have had the opportunity to get to know.
Wisneski describes the program as an opportunity to share knowledge from places across the state.
So far, both Wisneski and Ottenbreit-Leftwich are pleased with the progress of the MBA for Educators program.
Ottenbreit-Leftwich said program organizers have done a nice job organizing the curriculum and working through issues.
Wisneski also said this is a learning opportunity not only for the educators enrolled, but also for those teaching and leading the program.
“This program is incredibly rewarding to me as a faculty member because I get to see the real, tangible impact we’re making in local communities and in the state of Indiana,” Wisneski said.
