The Broad Center is an independent nonprofit organization that identifies, develops and supports talented K-12 public school system leaders who are committed to ensuring that every school, classroom, and child gets what they need to be successful. Through two highly selective professional development programs, The Broad Academy and The Broad Residency in Urban Education, The Broad Center is growing a diverse network of hundreds of leaders and managers in school systems across the nation — people who have the skills, knowledge and dedication necessary to transform America’s public education system into an engine of excellence and equity.

Started in 2002, The Broad Academy is an advanced fellowship for current and aspiring urban school system leaders. The two-year program combines personal and professional growth, providing opportunities to learn from and be inspired by experts, veteran educators and each other’s knowledge and experiences about what’s possible – for students in our nation’s urban public schools and for their own leadership. Academy fellows serve at the highest levels of education leadership nationwide, uniquely positioning them to work with the communities they serve to open the doors to unprecedented opportunity for young people. Over 150 Academy fellows have served as superintendents or chief executives of local and state systems and over 70 are currently serving in system leader roles.

Created in 2003, The Broad Residency in Urban Education is an intensive two-year management development program for talented early- and mid-career professionals. During the program, residents work in full-time roles in urban school districts, public charter school networks and state education agencies — allowing them to leverage their professional expertise and experience for immediate impact while developing their knowledge base and leadership. Over 90 percent of all residents remain in education after graduation, working to support school systems in operations, finance, human capital and other central-office functions. The Broad Residency is an accredited program, and graduates earn a master’s of education in educational leadership. Together, the two programs of The Broad Center have supported over 850 leaders and managers who are working towards the day when every family in every community can trust that their child will graduate ready for college, careers and life.

Since its inception, The Broad Foundation has invested nearly $150 million in The Broad Center, which started as a program of the foundation in 2001 before it became an independent organization in 2005. In December 2019, The Broad Foundation announced an additional $100 million investment to house The Broad Center at Yale University’s School of Management (SOM) beginning in 2020. The Broad Center at Yale SOM will offer a free master’s degree program for emerging education leaders and advanced leadership training for top school system executives—successors to The Broad Residency in Urban Education and The Broad Academy, respectively. All of the center’s efforts will seek to advance the strategic direction pioneered by The Broad Center over the last 20 years by training and empowering school district leaders to cultivate excellence and equity in their organizations.