Organizational History
Partners in School Innovation was founded in 1993 with the aim of eliminating the racial achievement gap in public education. Co-founders Julien Phillips, a former Peace Corps Volunteer and McKinsey & Co. partner, and Kim Grose, a Rhodes scholar and social justice advocate, recognized the need for major institutional change in the educational system. They believed deeply in the potential of talented and civic-minded individuals to foster that change. As a result, they began a model to create systemic improvements in low-performing schools by enlisting the support of AmeriCorps members, or “Partners.” Over a decade later, more than 200 AmeriCorps Partners have graduated from our program, completing a combined total of more than 400,000 hours of service.

We continue to believe in the power of change agents to drive systemic reforms to eliminate low performance in high-need schools. In 2005, we began developing a new kind of change agent: School Innovation Partners (SIPs). SIPs are outstanding former urban educators (principals and teachers) who have combined their classroom and leadership experience with a passion for leading school improvement. All our SIPs are deeply committed to closing the achievement gap and come to us with rare qualities which equip them for the challenge. Not only are they skilled educators, but they are also reflective practitioners who bring humility, results-orientation and a powerful focus on social justice to the work of school transformation. In 2006, we successfully transitioned away from the AmeriCorps program to the School Innovation Partners. With their experience and drive, our team of SIPs enable our schools to become even more vibrant and equitable learning environments for all students.

Since our founding, we have partnered with over 10 districts and 50 schools serving over 65,000 students, teachers and principals. Learn more about our current and former partner schools.

View our organization's timeline.