News about our grantees, the Foundation, and the field.
Research points to the potential value of high-impact tutoring for supporting learning recovery at scale, but key challenges remain. Meghan McCormick examines the current body of evidence on the impact of hybrid, virtual, and AI-fueled tutoring models, and how these models are poised to reduce costs, strengthen the tutoring workforce, and more effectively allocate tutoring supports.
Play is a critical component of healthy cognitive and social-emotional development. However, young children’s opportunities for play are declining. Carly Roberts and Katelyn Fletcher outline the benefits of incorporating a research-based Playful Learning approach into the school day.
Overdeck Family Foundation has granted the Research Partnership for Professional Learning (RPPL) $900,000 to manage three studies focused on identifying the features and traits of genAI tools that show potential to improve teacher quality and student learning, and disseminate those results to the education community at large.
Teachers and students are increasingly experimenting with generative AI tools, both in and out of the classroom. But, rapid changes in technology and the speed of adoption are far outpacing the field’s understanding of impacts on teaching and learning. Meghan McCormick examines what we know about the impact of genAI on education, calling for rigorous, evidence-based evaluation of what’s being used in schools.
As schools face increased student disengagement and uneven academic recovery, there’s a critical need to identify effective approaches to strengthen family-school partnerships—starting with investments in evidence-based solutions. Meghan McCormick details the evidence base guiding our Foundation's decision-making for investments in this space.
In Q1 2024, our foundation awarded 53 grants totaling over $14 million. Here, we highlight just some of the organizations we’re proud to support this quarter as we kick off our 2024 grantmaking.
The first installation of our new interview series, “Spotlight On,” features Lina Eroh in conversation with Heejae Lim, founder and CEO of TalkingPoints. Together, they discuss TalkingPoints’ growth trajectory, the platform’s use of AI to foster family-school partnerships, and how technology will continue to shape the future of education.
High-quality instructional materials (HQIM) matter for student learning, but these materials alone are not enough—how they are implemented matters. Jessica Fredston-Hermann and Meghan McCormick dive into the evidence on the importance of pairing HQIM with curriculum-based professional learning to ensure educators have the support they need for impactful instruction.
Decades of research have demonstrated the positive impact of Pre-K, yet critics argue that much of this evidence is old and that the impacts of modern-day programs are smaller and unlikely to be sustained—ignoring the research we do have on what works to strengthen Pre-K quality. Meghan McCormick dives into the current body of evidence, urging states and districts to follow the research when investing in early childhood education.
In a recent webinar, portfolio leads Emma Banay, Jessica Fredston-Hermann, Pete Lavorini, and Carly Roberts shared how our grantmaking strategies have been refreshed for 2024.