Latest Our Blog

Spotlight On Growth: TalkingPoints

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.

2023 Bright Spots: Unlocking Growth

Here we highlight how our funding helped DiscoverE, EdReports, FluentSeeds, and Teaching Lab unlock growth in 2023, measured by increased earned revenue and reach, improved capacities, and follow-on funding.

Two students work on robotics

2022 Bright Spots: Unlocking Growth

In this blog post, we highlight how Overdeck Family Foundation funding has helped Almost Fun, Imagine Science, Next Education Workforce, Robin Hood Learning + Technology Fund, Saga Education, and Tools of the Mind unlock growth, measured by increased earned revenue and reach, improved capacities, and follow-on funding.

2021 Bright Spots: Unlocking Growth

This blog post explores how five organizations—Waterford Upstart, Zearn, TalkingPoints, BellXcel, and Public Impact Opportunity Culture—successfully achieved growth in the past year with support from Overdeck Family Foundation.

Why We Fund Afterschool STEM at Overdeck Family Foundation

Even before the pandemic, NAEP scores for students saw unprecedented declines, especially in math. Afterschool STEM programming plays a unique role in promoting academic outcomes, supporting social-emotional development, and leveraging the home and community environments as places for extended learning. That's why Overdeck Family Foundation aims to make high-quality afterschool STEM accessible to all students.

New Jersey Tutoring Corps Expands to School Year after Successful Summer

The NJ Tutoring Corps, a research-informed, high-dosage, small-group tutoring program created by Overdeck Family Foundation and the NJ Pandemic Relief Fund, will expand to the school year starting in January. The program was launched in summer to tackle COVID-related learning loss and accelerate learning recovery for NJ students.

Jessica Greer, math LEAP Leader at Truesdell Education Campus, at the first district-wide LEAP Summer Intensive, which Leading Educators supported

Why Scaling Cost-Effective Professional Learning Is Critical During Covid

In recent years, more and more proof points have emerged that well-designed, externally-provided professional learning can drive significant improvements in both teacher and student-level outcomes, and do so at a fraction of the cost of the average school system’s annual spend on professional development. We explore why scaling this type of professional learning for educators is critical, the impact it can have on student learning, and what still remains to be learned.

Why Funding Family STEM Is More Important Than Ever

In 2021, Overdeck Family Foundation made grants totaling $3.75 million to organizations that support family STEM. This post explores the importance of engaging families in their children's STEM learning and highlights three organizations that are leading the way.

Supporting Kindergarten Readiness and Early School Success in a Pandemic Year

The Early Impact portfolio at Overdeck Family Foundation funds programs that support school readiness both in and out of "school," ensuring that every child has the opportunity for a strong start. This year, with the many challenges and setbacks created by the pandemic, that work is more critical than ever. This post highlights some of our grantee organizations engaging in this important work.