Author: dschluss

I am halfway through my summer internship at ExpandED Schools and have begun to hit a real stride with my role, team and workflow. I have developed a steady routine and my desk has accumulated lots of papers and clutter. I know what time I need wake up and leave for the bus, what I do for lunch, and how to budget my time after work. I take the bus and the commute usually takes about 45 minutes each way. On the ride I get to listen to my music and the Port Authority Bus Terminal is only a 2 block walk from my office which is perfect. I hit the ground running when I arrive to the office, work on projects until lunch with occasional meetings, and usually walk down the street to Bryant Park to enjoy a little bit of fresh air. After lunch I continue working on my projects and then check in with my boss to update her on my progress, ask questions, and receive any new assignments.

I also try and see friends after work about twice a week. In fact, one thing I find particularly nice about work life as opposed to academic life is that once my day is done I don’t have more work to do. There is no homework to complete, essays to write, or studying for tests. When I leave the office I just get to appreciate my time with the knowledge I put in a good days work.

As I have become more comfortable in my role I have had the chance to learn new things and expand my understanding of how my projects impact our mission. After the first few weeks I started sitting in on more meetings, including discussions about topics outside my specific role. I also went on my first site visit last week to one of the summer programs ExpandED Schools runs. It was really interesting to see firsthand how the work we do materializes into these programs. It was also really nice to interact with the students and hear how excited they were about the things they were learning.

One set of skills I have improved is my research abilities. I spend most of my day doing research and there have been some very difficult pieces of information to find. I have learned research requires immense patience, knowledge and creativity to use alternative paths to find the information I seek.

I have also improved my communication skills by conducting phone interviews to gather information which is the other substantial part of my job. I has taught me to be thoughtful, organized, and clear in my conversations with people.

This internship has been a wonderful learning process. I had a bit of a slow start with some of my projects this summer and learned how to ask my supervisor for additional opportunities in an open and respectful manner. I am also gaining a range of skills and experience. I am sure that my research skills will have a greater effect on my academic life, and that both my research and communication skills will be incredibly valuable and necessary in helping me reach my future career goals.

For my internship this summer I am working at ExpandED Schools, formerly known as TASC (The After-School Corporation), a non-profit organization in New York City dedicated to closing learning gaps. Thee Glossary of Education Reform defines learning gaps as “the difference between what a student has learned… and what the student was expected to learn at a certain point in his or her education”. The organization focuses on creating an expanded school day and increased learning hours through after school enrichment programs to help reduce learning gaps. Part of the organization’s work is directly with schools and after school programs. The other part focuses on research and policy to fix issues effecting community partners through policy reform, advocacy, or other means.

I am working as a member of the research and policy team. Previously, most of my work in education has been direct work with children. I greatly enjoyed my Education Policy class in the fall semester and realized it was an area in which I wanted to gain more experience and insight. I can already tell that my internship will provide me with wonderful opportunities. My boss and mentor is Saskia Traill, Vice President of Policy and Research. She and the rest of the office have been so helpful and welcoming to me. I appreciate that the office actually respects me as an intern. I have been given real work and feel like a member of the staff. I even have my own desk and phone extension!

I am currently researching partnerships between after-school programs and colleges and universities, and I am exploring ways to create a central system for university students to easily get involved in after school programs for elementary, middle, and high school students. I will be writing a policy memo about what I discover in my research to be used in future projects. I have also helped the advocacy department put together and deliver letters from some of ExpandED Schools’ partners to their council members. These personal messages to council members were part of a big project for the advocacy team during the very important budget allocations taking place this month.

I hope to gain a great deal from my internship this summer and I know ExpandED Schools will provide me with many opportunities to grow. I look forward to learning more about what it means to work in education policy; connecting with other professionals within the field of education who can share a variety of perspectives about careers and approaches; and improving my research and writing skills.

I have really enjoyed my internship this past week and am excited to see what the rest of the summer brings.