Our Blog
Founded in 2012, Zearn is the nonprofit behind Zearn Math, the top-rated math learning platform used by one in four elementary school students nationwide. In this “Spotlight On Growth,” we hear from co-founder and CEO Shalinee Sharma and explore the organization’s journey to expand access to high-quality math learning.
In this “Spotlight On Growth,” Pete Lavorini talks with Michelle Brown, founder and CEO of CommonLit. Together, they delve into CommonLit’s growth trajectory, the role of AI in the organization’s future, and its approach to measuring impact on student learning and engagement.
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.
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.
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.
Melanie Dukes talks with leaders from the Center on Reinventing Public Education, CommonLit, Khan Academy, Quill, ST Math, and Transcend about the innovative ways technology is being used to accelerate student-centered learning, and the cutting-edge approaches each organization is using to respond to students’ learning needs and augment teachers’ expertise.
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.
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.
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.
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.