Photos

EdTech Entrepreneurs Lab Pitch Night

On July 15, nearly 300 Bay Area entrepreneurs, VCs and philanthropists gathered for the final pitch session of The EdTech Entrepreneurs Lab, an education startup incubation program helping cultivate the next generation of education technology entrepreneurs. Since February, a cohort of 25 incredible individuals worked through the Lab on tech-enabled solutions to the challenges facing American public education—and at this culminating event, their months of hard work were clear.

NewSchools Summit 2011

For a decade, the NewSchools Summit has been the central address for results-oriented innovation that improves education for low-income children. This year, we took it up a couple of notches. Summit 2011 participants enjoyed more choices in content, more ways to connect with people, more new ideas and people, and more fun. The theme for this invitation-only event was what’s new and what’s next—the ideas, people and systems that will change education in the year to come. NewSchools Venture Fund has worked since 1998 to transform public education so that all children – especially those in underserved communities – have the opportunity to succeed. We have supported many of the nation’s highest performing entrepreneurial organizations and work closely with them to create systemic change. This year, for the first time, NewSchools is joining with Aspen Institute to bring you an event of unprecedented interest.

Videos

The Parent Voice in Ed Reform

This session explores some of the difficult topics that parents and organizations working with parents are facing throughout the country. What does it mean for the progress of community action when the NAACP vocally opposes charter schools? Are we doing enough as an education reform movement to protect the charter schools that are successful in this country? What needs to happen to close more schools that are failing? How do we bridge the gap between the grassroots organizations and the rest of the education reform community? How do we sustain long-lasting change? The panelists identify the parts of the education reform advocacy movement that are disconnected and broken and offer solutions for how to fix it. Russlynn Ali, Emerson Collective (Moderator) Alberto Retana, Community Coalition Michael Lomax (United Negro College Fund) Karen Martinez (Alum Rock School District) Shawn Sprewer, St. Marcus Lutheran School

Millions and Millions of Great Teachers Needed: How Will We Meet this Need?

Quality teachers are key to student success. Yet, the need far exceeds the supply. In this session, experienced leaders share innovative approaches to preparing teachers so that they are classroom-ready on day one, improving the skillfulness of veteran teachers and changing the labor composition of schools so that a great teacher's reach extends further. Reba Dominski, Target (Introduction) Kaya Henderson, DC Public Schools (Moderator) Jennifer Green, Urban Teacher Center Ellen Moir, New Teacher Center Richard Nyankori, Insight Education Group Diane Tavenner, Summit Public Schools

It's TimeTo Give Up On ________ and Replace it With ___________.

In this rapid-fire session, participants share different short talks on what should be stopped and what should be done instead. Some of the talks will be serious, some funny, but all will be insightful. Jean Desravines (Moderator) Ann Friedman, The SEED Foundation Kaya Henderson, DC Public Schools Frederick Hess, American Enterprise Institute Neerav Kingsland, New Schools for New Orleans Jeremiah Kittredge, Families for Excellent Schools Ted Kolderie, Education Evolving Kimberly O’Malley, Pearson Larry Rosenstock, High Tech High Mark Shermis, University of Akron

What America Can Learn From the World’s Leading Schools

What can be really learned from international comparisons? What can be usefully learned from other countries? What can’t? What does it mean for education reform and entrepreneurship? This session looks at what is truth and what is fiction in these comparisons, as well as offer bright spots that participants can look to and learn from for best practices and insights. Amanda Ripley, Journalist (Moderator) Sir Michael Barber, Pearson Jon Schnur, America Achieves Joanne Weiss, US Department of Education

Mark Pincus and Andrew Ng with John Doerr

John Doerr discusses the role of education games and MOOCs in improving education and increasing students' options with Marc Pincus of Zynga and Andrew Ng of Coursera. Mark announces the launch of the Zynga.org and NewSchools Venture Fund Learning Games Accelerator, created to lend social gaming expertise to education technology companies developing the next generation of learning games and apps by giving them space at Zynga headquarters to work and access to Zynga developers. Andrew announces Coursera's launch of new teacher training MOOCs (massive open online courses). John Doerr, Kleiner Perkins Caufield Byers (Interviewer) Mark Pincus, Zynga Andrew Ng, Coursera

The Common Core is Coming!

The Common Core State Standards aims public education at exactly the right goal: college-and-career readiness for all students. To meet these inspiring and ambitious standards demands transformational changes in teaching and learning. With fewer than two years before the initial administration of Common Core-aligned tests in 2014-15, we hear perspectives from a panel of practitioner leaders and lead standards-author (and 2012 NewSchools Change Agent of the year) David Coleman. Panelists discuss early efforts and lessons learned, talk about the resources that have been most helpful in implementation thus far, and articulate areas most in need of additional R&D from the entrepreneurial sector. Pat McCarthy, ExxonMobil (Introduction) David Coleman, The College Board (Moderator) Ashley Hebda, Educator John King, New York State Education Department Brian Pick, DC Public Schools

Innovators in Education

After 15 years of working to improve education by supporting and enabling the ideas and efforts of passionate innovators, instead of looking back, NewSchools Venture Fund is looking 15 years further down the road. We believe that looking toward the future is key to preparing for it. We also believe that the best way to understand the future is to listen to those creating it. Hear from NewSchools entrepreneurs about the challenges facing education, the solutions they are creating and the visions of the future informing and driving their work forward. We also took the time to listen to KIPP King senior, and soon-to-be Harvard Freshman, Laetitia Tiani Vessah, who spoke to the on-the-ground realities facing today and tomorrow's students. Thank you to Norman Atkins of Relay GSE, Sam Chaudhary of ClassDojo, Sooinn Lee of Locomotive Labs, Emily Sawtell of Hapara, Jason Singer of Gobstopper, Laetitia Tiani Vessah of KIPP King Collegiate Highschool and Eric Westendorf of LearnZillion for sharing their visions and work with us, and thank you to all of our entrepreneurs working towards a better state of education for today and tomorrow.