Our Ventures

Inside Our Portfolio

NewSchools invests in both nonprofit and for-profit organizations that are working to improve public education in a variety of ways. Our venture portfolio includes more than 100 highly effective organizations working to change the lives of low-income children across the country.

Click on any link below to learn more about our ventures.

Acelero Learning

Focuses on positive child and family outcomes in operation of Head Start centers serving more than 4,000 students across the country.

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Achievement First

Charter management organization that was founded in 1998 to serve students in grades K-12 in Connecticut and New York.

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The Achievement Network

The Achievement Network (ANet) is a nonprofit organization founded in 2005, that helps teachers and school leaders use real-time student test data to improve classroom instruction in low-income schools. ANet is committed to helping all students achieve academic excellence by using rigorous interim assessments to deliver the right data to school leaders and teachers, and providing data-driven strategies and ongoing coaching to embed these strategies into schools’ everyday routines.

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Appletree Institute for Education Innovation

An innovative nonprofit that develops and provides proven early education programs for the most under served three and four year olds to close the achievement gap before they enter kindergarten. We educate 620 children at 7 preschool sites across Washington, DC. AppleTree won a prestigious Investing in Innovation grant for their Every Child Ready instructional program in 2010.

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BetterLesson

BetterLesson was founded by a group of teachers from Atlanta and Boston public schools to connect educators and help them create, organize, and share their curricula.

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Beyond 12

College coaching and student data tracking and analysis aimed at increasing the number of first generation, underrepresented and low-income students who graduate from our nation’s colleges and universities.

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BrightBytes

BrightBytes uses data to enable the creation of effective 21st Century learning environments. The company’s SAAS-based analytics platform, Clarity, measures the impact of technology use on student achievement by collecting school data and analyzing it within a proprietary framework. Based on this analysis, (1) Schools receive a customized roadmaps for improvement, as well as the resources to put the plan into action. (2) Government entities receive measurements of progress that ensure accountability and target spending. (3) Ed-tech providers receive evidence of their products’ effectiveness, along with data on the products and services needed throughout the system.

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Capital Teaching Residency Program

A teacher training residency program working to increase the number of highly-effective educators in Washington, DC by offering a one-year teaching residency in a high-performing charter school.

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Center to Support Excellence in Teaching (CSET)

CSET is a research and training institute that plans to offer performance-based training to teachers and coaches nationwide. It is led by founder Pam Grossman, an education professor at Stanford and expert in curriculum and teacher education.

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Character Lab

Character Lab is an early-stage non-profit venture with a mission to select, support, and disseminate evidence-based character interventions.

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Civic Builders

Real estate development company providing high-quality, low-cost school facilities for New York City public charter schools.

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ClassDojo

In-classroom behavior management tool that helps teachers improve behavior and make class more engaging.

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CoreSpring

CoreSpring is building a bank of open, formative assessment items designed to promote college and […]

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Crescent City Schools

Crescent City Schools is part of the movement that believes all students can and will learn, and that it is each school’s responsibility to provide an outstanding, high-quality education for every child

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DC Preparatory Academy

Charter management organization serving over 1,000 students in Washington, DC. DC Prep seeks to increase educational opportunities for children in DC by operating high-quality schools that emphasize rigorous academics and character development.

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DC Public Charter School Board

The Public Charter School Board (PCSB) is an independent public charter school authorizer in Washington, DC. The PCSB regularly evaluates DC public charter schools for academic results, compliance with applicable local and federal laws and fiscal management, and holds them accountable for results.

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DC School Reform Now

Education advocacy organization, supporting strategies that prepare kids in Washington, DC to become college and career ready.

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DSST Public Schools

DSST Public Schools is widely considered to be one of the leading open enrollment STEM schools (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) in the US and now serves more than 1,000 students on two campuses.

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EdBuild

Support for both traditional public schools and public charter schools by developing both turnkey facilities and targeted educational supports and interim assessments.

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EdSurge

EdSurge is an independent information resource and community for everyone involved in education technology. We aim […]

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Educreations

Educreations aims to maximize the reach and impact of great teachers by enabling them to […]

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Ellevation

Ellevation is a mission-driven software company exclusively focused on the needs of English Language Learners […]

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EnCorps

Public-private partnership dedicated to increasing the number of critically-needed math and science teachers in California’s public middle and high schools.

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Engrade

Engrade is a free set of web-based tools for educators allowing them to manage their classes online while providing parents and students with 24/7 real-time online access. Features include a free online gradebook, attendance book, homework calendar, secure SPAM-free messaging, file uploads, progress reports, and more. Engrade has over 3 million registered users and is used by elementary schools, high schools, and universities from all 50 states and over 150 countries around the world.

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eSpark

eSpark gathers and evaluates third party educational technology apps, and identifies those that are aligned […]

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The Expectations Project

The Expectations Project partners with faith-motivated individuals, leaders, congregations and organizations to develop local and national campaigns that help enact transformational change for low-income public schools.

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Friendship Public Charter Schools

A nonprofit charter management organization that was founded in 1997 to provide Washington, DC‘s K-12 students with a world-class education that motivates them to achieve high academic standards, enjoy learning and develop as ethical, well-rounded citizens that contribute actively to their communities.

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Goalbook

Goalbook was founded by a former special education teacher (Daniel Jhin Yoo) and a blended learning technologist (Justin Su), with its mission to enable personalized learning plans for all students. Goalbook’s Plans allows a student’s team to collaborate around individualized learning goals.

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Gobstopper

Gobstopper is a new education technology startup focused on transforming how teachers teach and students […]

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GreatSchools

Online resource with information on over 200,000 public and private schools, giving parents the tools they need to make informed decisions about their children’s education.

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Grockit

Personalized learning for students seeking to get their best score on college prep tests.

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Hapara

Following the explosive growth of Google Apps in higher ed, a similar trend is happening […]

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Ingenuity Prep

With a rigorous college preparatory curriculum, including a major focus on the development of 21st century skills and knowledge, Ingenuity Prep Public Charter School prepares Washington, DC area youth to be STRONG—Self-aware, Tough, Respectful, Open-minded, Noble, and Grateful—civic leaders who strive to positively impact their local and global communities.

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Inspired Teaching Demonstration School

A professional learning community of master teachers and teacher residents ensuring that a diverse group of students achieve their potential as accomplished learners, thoughtful citizens, and imaginative and inquisitive problem solvers through a demanding, inquiry-based curriculum.

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Junyo

Junyo’s tools help schools, publishers, and online learning providers use data to guide decision-making. Collecting frequent, detailed data provides the foundation to assess, experiment, iterate and improve the learning experience.

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Khan Academy

Provides a free world-class education via an online video library, practice exercises and assessments.

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Kidaptive

Kidaptive is dedicated to helping children learn and have fun, and empowering parents in this process.  We […]

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KIPP DC

Charter management organization serving more than 2,600 students on three campuses in Washington, DC.

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KIPP Foundation

Recruits, trains, and supports outstanding school leaders to open and lead high-performing schools in underserved communities.

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KIPP MA

KIPP Massachusetts operates two middle schools and a high school. Its flagship middle school opened […]

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Locomotive Labs

LocoMotive Labs designs exceptional assistive and play-based learning applications to empower kids with special needs […]

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Mastery Charter Schools

Charter management organization operating both new charter schools and turnaround schools, serving more than 7,000 students on four campuses.

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MasteryConnect

MasteryConnect is changing the focus in education from end-of-year assessments to real-time information about what students are learning relative to standards.

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Mundo Verde PCS

Washington, DC’s first “green” public charter school dedicated to educating young people to become global stewards in an increasingly complex world.

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Mytonomy

Mytonomy is a near-peer social network designed to bring alumni advice to high school students […]

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Nearpod

Nearpod is a mobile app that allows teachers to easily create and share interactive lessons, […]

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New Classrooms

Organization that will develop and scale innovative school models for students across the country.

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New Leaders

Recruits talented individuals with strong leadership potential and trains them to become outstanding school principals.

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NoRedInk

NoRedInk is a web-based learning platform that helps students improve their grammar and writing skills.

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Partners in School Innovation

Service organization to enable public schools in high-poverty Bay Area communities — serving primarily students of color and English-language learners — to achieve educational equity through school-based reform.

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School Leaders Network

Expands student educational opportunity by transforming school leaders into empowered, highly effective change agents who improve school climate and culture and drive increased student achievement.

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School of One

Integrates multiple modalities of math instruction into the same learning space. Currently serving 1,500 students in NYC Public Schools.

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Schoolzilla

Schoolzilla is a cloud-based data management and visualization platform for education practitioners that turns operational […]

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Success for All

Intensive reading program and comprehensive school reform model that achieves proven results in under-resourced urban schools.

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Teach For America

Recruits recent college graduates who commit two years to teach in urban and rural public schools in our nation’s lowest-income communities.

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Teach Plus

Supports the retention of high quality teachers into a second stage of their careers by expanding leadership opportunities and financial incentives for those who demonstrate success in the classroom.

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Teaching Channel

Video showcase–on the internet and on TV–of inspiring and effective teaching practices in America’s schools.

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TeachingWorks

TeachingWorks (TW) is a national research and training institute housed at the University of Michigan’s School […]

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Teachscape

Provides professional development programs to teachers, principals, and school leaders.

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TEAM Charter Schools

TEAM Charter Schools is a high-performing charter school organization with four schools and 1,500 students in Newark, New Jersey. 83% of TEAM graduates have gone on to college.

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TNTP

Dedicated to increasing the number of outstanding individuals who become public school teachers.

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Tynker

Tynker’s mission is to teach every child computational thinking and programming skills in a fun and imaginative way. Unlike traditional syntax-driven code, Tynker’s innovative visual programming language and Web-based learning environment make it easy for children in the younger grades to learn programming concepts without dealing with the frustration of syntax.

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Urban Teacher Center

UTC believes that schools need a guarantee—that before teachers are certified, they can demonstrate student achievement gains. UTC’s innovative model ensures that districts get only teacher candidates who have demonstrated effectiveness in the classroom.

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