The Walton Family Foundation has given a $2.1 million three year grant to Education Pioneers, a national nonprofit that works to connect talented leaders and managers with the goal of accelerating excellence in education.

“Our investments are driven by the benefits of empowering parents with publicly funded educational choices and providing access to high-quality schools for their children,” said Ed Kirby, Senior Program Officer for the Walton Family Foundation’s K-12 Education Reform Focus Area. “We support Education Pioneers in their efforts to attract and develop top leadership and management talent, which is integral to expanding educational options for parents, particularly in low-income communities, and transforming public education in our country.”

Education Pioneers was founded in 2003 and has since introduced more than 1,200 leaders into education. Education Pioneers plans to use the grant money to double the size of its Fellowship programs over the next three years while attracting and developing an additional 1,500 new leaders and managers in a bid to transform the education sector.

“We are thrilled to partner with the Walton Family Foundation to advance our work to transform the education sector through much needed leadership and management talent,” said Scott Morgan, Founder and CEO of Education Pioneers. “The Foundation’s investment will enable us to bring 300 more talented leaders into education and advance our shared goal to provide all students with a high-quality education.”

The Walton Family Foundation has already invested more than $1 billion in education reform initiatives aimed at increasing parental choice and equal educational opportunity for all, believing that the key to American dominance in the global economy of the future is a high quality, publicly-funded education for today’s children. Education Pioneers stated goal is to make education the best led and managed sector the American economy and believes that the key to turning around the nation’s failing education system is the recruitment and development of talent leaders and managers.