Growth in the urban education reform movement, characterized largely by an exponential increase in charter schools, will create a need for at least 32,000 senior and mid-level workers over the next decade, concludes a report released last week by EdFuel.
The study, which also looks at transformation in urban education in the 50 largest cities, found that continued growth outside the traditional district model will create a “talent gap” for noninstructional staff members, including workers skilled in business, finance, operations, management, data analytics, and communications.
The study was supported by Bellwether Education Partners and the Walton Family Foundation, which also provided EdFuel’s startup funds.
The five fastest-growing areas in what EdFuel calls an “autonomous and accountable public school sector” (a term that refers to public education outside the traditional model, including charter schools and private schools where students use publicly funded vouchers) are in the legal realm, instructional coaching, policy, advocacy/outreach, and program implementation, according to the study.