
Our goal: Increase the retention of effective educators in K-9 so that more children have access to teachers who empower them to reach their full potential.
Too many students will not experience the needed concentration of expert educators who are able to provide the rigorous, on grade-level instruction needed to help close academic gaps.
We know teachers are the most important school factor driving student outcomes. Yet they often work in systems that lack the resources needed to help them unlock student academic achievement and foster a sense of belonging and engagement in their classrooms. Our Exceptional Educators portfolio funds direct impact and ecosystem grantees that empower K-9 teachers and school leaders by increasing access to professional learning aligned with high-quality instructional materials, innovative data tools, and differentiated staffing models that have been shown to improve teacher efficacy and student outcomes.
Our Learnings
Teachers are the biggest within-school factor impacting student achievement, but they have faced mounting and often conflicting pressures during the pandemic.
Teachers feel inadequately prepared to deal with the added responsibilities of the pandemic.
School leaders are critical to building the necessary conditions for effective instruction and learning.
High-quality instructional materials, and educators’ ability to use them, remain critically important to student achievement.
In the right roles and in supportive environments, teachers can achieve extraordinary results.
Classroom culture, more than teacher experience, predicts student achievement gains.
Technology and virtual delivery options continue to be valuable for educators, students, and families.
Grantee Spotlight
Learn more about some of the work funded by the Exceptional Educators portfolio.

Teaching Lab
Empowering teachers to drive their own high-impact professional learning, in a format that suits them best.

Leading Educators
Partnering with system and school leaders to make professional learning more actionable and relevant.

Public Impact’s Opportunity Culture
Scaling an innovative professional learning and staffing model across America’s public schools.
Our Questions
What are the most effective ways to ensure that teachers are using high-quality instructional materials with all students, and what role do leaders play in ensuring the effective implementation of high-quality instructional materials?
What support do leaders need to make differentiated staffing a successful strategy in helping retain effective teachers and drive student learning?
Which data tools are most effective for leaders and teachers to drive student success, and what is needed for these tools to be successful?