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Posts by Joe Ventura

The Future of Education

We invited leading education entrepreneurs to share their thoughts about the future of education. Hear their hopes and goals for the future of education and the education reform movement in this final installment of the NewSchools Presents video series. You’ll hear from Larry Rosenstock (High Tech High), Jessica Cunningham (KIPP DC), Sal Khan (Khan Academy), Marijke Smit (Project Frog), Bill Jackson (GreatSchools), Alexandra Bernadotte (Beyond 12), Scott Given (Unlocking Potential Schools), and […] Read more

Celebrating Education Entrepreneurs in Video

Education entrepreneurs are as diverse as the communities they serve. This week we continue our celebration of these passionate social innovators by featuring three entrepreneurs that are making a difference in lives of children in ways often overlooked by education reformers. During the life of our second fund (2002-2006), NewSchools identified an important need in the education market around charter school real estate. One of the biggest hurdles that charter schools face in […] Read more

Hacking Education: Detroit

As someone with family ties in the area, I’m constantly challenged by the majority of stories about Michigan. But, it’s not hard to see why Detroit is so frequently used as the poster city of our collective economic straits. Inner city blight, the exodus of college graduates, deep cuts in social services, and a shocking adult illiteracy rate: Detroit has all the hallmarks of a city in the throes of disaster. It’s […] Read more

NewSchools Presents: Bill Jackson, GreatSchools

In 1998, Kim Smith, a student at Stanford Graduate School of Business, teamed up with famed venture capitalist John Doerr and Brook Byers to build an organization whose mission was to transform education by supporting education entrepreneurs. The trio recognized that entrepreneurs had revolutionized the fields of science, medicine, and technology, and wanted to bring that same innovative spark to the world of education.Their idea became NewSchools Venture Fund, and an entrepreneur […] Read more

NewSchools Presents: Alexandra Bernadotte and Scott Given

When we invited education entrepreneurs to tell their stories in our Story Booth at NewSchools Summit 2011 earlier this year we were completely unprepared for the response we received. We heard from a diverse group of social innovators, fiercely dedicated to improving public education for all children. They spoke the experiences which led them to take on such challenging work, and their thoughts on the future of education reform.This week we’re releasing […] Read more

New Video Series Celebrates Education Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs are a special breed; they’re tenacious, imaginative risk-takers willing to work hard to see their ideas become reality. They draw on diverse experiences to generate breakthrough ideas that disrupt the status quo. And they’re bringing the same transformative impact to public education as they have in the fields of medicine, technology and science.That’s why over the next five weeks we’re celebrating education entrepreneurs in a new video series, NewSchools Presents: Education […] Read more

Investing in Innovation (i3) Foundation Registry

The application deadline for Department of Education Investing in Innovation (i3) Fund grants has passed (it was August 2 this year). But here’s a helpful website for organizations seeking matching foundation funds for their grants: the Foundation Registry i3, at http://foundationregistryi3.org/. This website was created as a resource for organizations pursuing i3 funding.  It was set up by a group of leading foundations to simplify the process for organizations seeking the private matching funds […] Read more

“Public education is broken: How will you fix it?”

In April, NewSchools teamed up with the student-led nonprofit Students for Education Reform (SFER) to host a national essay competition. We all recognize that public education is broken; we wanted to hear from students how they propose to fix it. Macy Olivas, a junior at Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington, authored the winning essay.“Public education is broken: How will you fix it?”I hate to say that I lucked out on the education […] Read more

NewSchools Summit 2011: Sal Khan and Joel Klein

Technology has opened new ways for information—and lessons—to reach students. In a good-hearted and fast-moving conversation between Joel Klein, who recently left his post as Chancellor of the New York City schools to join News Corporation, and Sal Khan, author of more than 2,000 free, virally popular instructional videos, debate what the future of education will look like. Read more

Kaya Henderson and Reed Hastings at Summit 2011

In what many attendees considered the highlight of NewSchools Summit 2011, Carlos Watson moderates the closing keynote discussion between D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson and Netflix Founder Reed Hastings. This widely respected district leader and nationally renowned innovator offer passionate and contrasting views on what it will take to accomplish wider change in public education. An unexpected—and now famous—handshake between the two makes this a session that shouldn’t be missed. Read more