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 educating children from urban communities is securing adequate academically-friendly campuses. Pacific Charter School Development was created to eliminate school leaders’ need to be involved in finding and building facilities so instead they can focus on teaching children. Entrepreneur Eli Kennedy leads Pacific Charter School Development’s work.

Research shows that diet influences cognition and behavior. Poor food habits have been correlated to poor academic achievement. Entrepreneurs Kirsten Tobey and Kristin Richmond co-founded Revolution Foods in 2005 to transform the way we feed our students by helping schools serve healthy meals, and offering nutrition education to children from low-income communities. 

Click here to watch more videos in our Education Entrepreneurs video series.