Learning to lead education innovation
Andrew Schantz
Education Entrepreneurship M.S.Ed., 2016
Before Penn GSE: Working in communications in the public education arena
After Penn GSE: Executive Director of the VentureSchool, a micro public charter high school in Detroit, Michigan slated to open in 2019.
"Education Entrepreneurship gave me the necessary time, space, and support so that I was ready to launch my venture soon after graduation."
When I enrolled in Penn GSE’s Education Entrepreneurship master’s program, I had a vision for the high school I wanted to open. But when the VentureSchool launches in 2019 in northeast Detroit, it will be something different — and better — because of how I have been able to put lessons I learned at Penn GSE into practice.
My first class at Penn GSE was Foundations in Education. Like everything else in the program, it covered both theory and practical details. This is where my ideas began to develop into a plan that would evolve through the year. Education Entrepreneurship gave me the necessary time, space, and support so that I was ready to launch my venture soon after graduation.
The working professional format allowed me to keep my job while I earned my master’s degree. My cohort was filled with students who brought experience in both business and education. At our intensive sessions, I was exposed to different perspectives and started to build a network of peers with whom I continue to collaborate. I learned directly from education experts and experienced entrepreneurs who had started schools and education ventures.
At Penn GSE, I learned how to test a concept and make modifications. Our VentureSchool team has been working with potential partners, educators, students, and their families. Based on their feedback, we shifted our mission. Instead of helping students start businesses, we will give our students skills, tools, and an entrepreneurial mindset that will help them create change no matter what they pursue after graduation.