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When It Comes To Purchasing EdTech Solutions, Evidence-Based Decision-Making Is More Important Than Ever

In today’s K-12 education market, there is strong demand for technology-fueled solutions to close achievement gaps, but little to no guidance for educators on making decisions based on evidence of impact. Melanie Dukes and Lina Eroh outline the critical role philanthropy can play in strengthening evidence-based decision-making for edtech solutions, ultimately leading to better student outcomes.

Perspectives: Schools Must Know If Their Learning-Loss Programs Work — Before ESSER Funds End

Since the pandemic began, the federal government has provided nearly $190 billion in education funding to states and districts. As these rapid-relief dollars are set to expire, Anu Malipatil suggests that now is the time for schools and districts to assess whether the dollars have made a difference, and use that insight to inform what funding should be spent on going forward.

Perspectives: Building Nonprofit Capacity, Hand in Hand

As nonprofits turn to funders for support beyond grantmaking dollars, foundations can play a strategic, hands-on role in helping them become more cost-effective, sustainable, and scalable. Anu Malipatil and Lucy Brainard describe how capacity building and trust-based philanthropy can work in concert to build grantees’ organizational capacities and lead to long-term success.

Perspectives: As Technology Use Explodes in Classrooms, Philanthropy Must Help Ensure All Students Benefit

Technology has the potential to play a significant role in improving engagement with families, assessing student progress, and providing personalized learning solutions. But to have a real impact, edtech tools need to be evaluated and refined before they're made available at scale. John Overdeck, President of Overdeck Family Foundation, points to the need for philanthropic investment in new innovations and ongoing evidence-building to ensure these solutions improve learning for all students.

Our Predictions for 2023

Our leadership team sat down to reflect on what they’ve seen across the education and philanthropic landscape, in addition to what the Foundation has learned from peer funders and grantees this past year. In this post, each department leader shares predictions for what they expect to see in 2023.

Perspectives: Why Digital STEM Initiatives Are a Critical Investment Right Now

As was the case pre-Covid, many students continue to score below proficient in STEM subjects, with low-income, Black, and Hispanic students on average far behind where they would have been if not for Covid-related learning disruptions. Gemma Lenowitz calls for investment in affordable and scalable digital solutions that can help close this widening gap by engaging students in STEM learning beyond the classroom.

Perspectives: Funding Better Assessment Can Help Kids Recover from COVID-Era Learning Loss

The pandemic disrupted learning and widened preexisting achievement gaps for students nationwide. John Overdeck, President of Overdeck Family Foundation, explains how funding cutting-edge, curriculum-aligned formative assessments can help to address unfinished learning.

two educators read at the front of the classroom

Perspectives: It’s Time to Rethink the ‘One Teacher, One Classroom’ Model

Stephanie Banchero of The Joyce Foundation and Irene Chen write about why the traditional school staffing model must be reimagined. This challenging moment in education is an opportunity for district and school leaders to embrace innovative, differentiated staffing that creatively utilizes educators and plays to their strengths—positioning schools for long-term success.

Using Technology To Accelerate Student-Centered Learning: An Interview with Nonprofit Leaders

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.

Supporting Early Childhood Development: An Interview with The Hunt Institute’s Javaid Siddiqi and Dan Wuori

We caught up with The Hunt Institute’s President & CEO, Javaid Siddiqi, and Senior Director of Early Learning, Dan Wuori, to ask how the organization supports state leaders as they navigate early childhood policy, what innovations they're seeing across state investments, and more.

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