The NewSchools Innovation Fund
The goal of the NewSchools Innovation Fund is to build entrepreneurial organizations that will work in concert to close the achievement gap by preparing underserved student populations for success in college and life. Through the Innovation Fund we will make investments in three specific areas — People, Tools and Schools — selected not only for their ability to impact children from low-income communities, but also because of the extraordinary potential to influence broader systems by focusing on their intersections.
People
Nothing that happens in a school matters more than the quality of a student’s teacher, so we are investing in new teacher preparation organizations that set student performance as their chief yardstick.
Schools
The nation’s 12,000 chronically underperforming public schools trap families in a cycle of poverty, so we are investing in entrepreneurs who are building organizations that will rapidly create strong performance and academic cultures of high expectations in these schools.
Tools
Harnessing the power of technology to tailor instruction to individual students’ needs and interests, NewSchools will invest in organizations that help schools and teachers accelerate learning by personalizing instruction, in particular for underserved students.
Alignment and Catalytic Impact
We have found that breakthrough results are most likely to occur where these three levers are aligned: people are identified, prepared and supported as they work to maximize student academic and social development; tools empower educators to assess student needs and adjust instruction accordingly; and schools afford educators the autonomy to deploy resources flexibly while emphasizing accountability for student learning. Wherever possible, we invest in organizations that reinforce one another while providing proof points of excellence that accelerate the transformation of larger educational systems.