Urban School Innovator Don Feinstein Named as "Entrepreneur of the Year"

Executive Director of AUSL Receives Honor from NewSchools Venture Fund

Chicago (PRWEB) June 3, 2009 -- Don Feinstein, Ph.D., executive director of the Academy for Urban School Leadership (AUSL), received the "Entrepreneur of the Year" award from NewSchools Venture Fund at its annual summit in Pasadena, Calif. Feinstein was one of five leaders nationwide who were recognized for their contributions to the transformation of the public education system through policymaking, research and building innovative school organizations that provide children in some of the country's toughest urban centers with opportunities for success in college and beyond.

AUSL is a non-profit organization that partners with Chicago Public Schools (CPS) to train new teachers and turn around schools that are chronically under-performing. Feinstein joined AUSL in 2001 as the principal of AUSL's first teacher training academy, The Chicago Academy. After three years of overseeing the Chicago Academy's continued success, Feinstein rose to executive director of AUSL in 2004. "AUSL demonstrates the direct and catalytic impact an entrepreneurial organization can have," said NewSchools partner Jordan Meranus. "Don Feinstein is relentless in his efforts to scale AUSL with quality and take on a growing number of the lowest performing schools."

The schools that have gone through the turnaround process have seen substantial improvements in student performance. All of the schools AUSL manages have seen steady increases in Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) scores and 93 percent of AUSL's first high school graduating class (2008) enrolled in college. In addition to impressive academic improvements, the schools have seen rises in attendance and decreases in the need for discipline.

"Being named 'Entrepreneur of the Year' by an organization as reputable as the NewSchools Venture Fund is something I am very proud of," said Feinstein. "My team and I believe that all children deserve the opportunity to learn in the best possible environment and we work hard to provide that for the students of Chicago. It is great to see that our work is being noticed by our peers and I hope that our successes will cause communities across the country to explore the turnaround process themselves."

During Feinstein's tenure, AUSL has trained over 300 new teachers through its intense year-long residency program that prepares teachers for the specific challenges of urban classrooms. The impressive teacher retention rates at AUSL's schools are attributed to the stellar training received before the teachers enter the classroom. Over 89 percent of the 300 graduates of AUSL's teacher training program are still working in education; 83 percent are still working at CPS, while nationwide, half of all new teachers leave teaching within five years. In addition, Feinstein oversaw AUSL's evolution into a School Turnaround Management Organization. AUSL will manage a total of 14 schools in 2009, including eight turnaround schools and six training academies.

Both President Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan have spoken highly of AUSL as a potential model for national education reform, which may be why then-President-elect Obama chose to announce his selection of Duncan at AUSL's Dodge Renaissance Academy.

About the Academy for Urban School Leadership (AUSL)
AUSL (www.ausl-chicago.org) was founded in 2001 by Martin J. Koldyke, venture capitalist and founder of The Golden Apple Foundation, who inspired business, community and education leaders to design a program that would reform teaching. AUSL is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation; NewSchools Venture Fund; Boeing, Motorola and other Chicago corporations, as well as many generous individual donors and other philanthropies.

About NewSchools Venture Fund
NewSchools Venture Fund (www.newschools.org) is a national nonprofit venture philanthropy firm that has been working since 1998 to transform public education for underserved children by supporting education entrepreneurs who create nonprofit and for-profit organizations that have the power to catalyze system-wide change. Its investments are designed to make a significant systemic impact in some of the nation's most challenged urban communities, including New York City, Chicago, Washington D.C., New Orleans, Los Angeles, and Oakland, California.

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