Announcing Readworks.org: The Best Kept Secret in Reading Comprehension
We are thrilled to welcome Readworks.org to the Seed Fund portfolio. It’s a humble and hardworking nonprofit, with a maniacal focus on quality. They’ve mostly flown under the radar since their founding in 2010, spending zero dollars on marketing. Even so, they’ve grown organically through teacher word of mouth resulting in 3 million reading lessons downloaded and 270 websites linked to their materials.
Curriculum, the Trojan Horse of School Reform
As a country, we’ve vastly under-appreciated the importance of high-quality content as a key lever to improve teaching and learning. One of my mentors Dr. Denise Pope, lecturer at Stanford Graduate School of Education, calls curriculum the “Trojan horse of school reform.”
I believe this to be true, now more than ever. The conditions are ripe for a curriculum revolution that has the potential to both improve student achievement and support great teaching.*
Alive in the Swamp
Sir Michael Barber, Michael Fullan and Katelyn Donnelly discus education reform and the impact of learning technologies. They also discuss “Alive in the Swamp: assessing digital innovations in education”, which offers practical advice on how to navigate through digital innovations in education, and suggests where more innovation effort is needed.
Reflections on Digital Inequality, Live from ISTE 2013
Walking the aisles at ISTE reminds me of the Charles Gibson’s quote, “the future is already here, it’s just not very evenly distributed.” Like many of you, I’m drawn to edtech for it’s potential to open up access and increase opportunity for kids previously isolated by social class, geography or other challenges.
K-12 Ed Tech Market Map Refresh
NewSchools is releasing an update to the K-12 Ed Tech Market Map, once again created in collaboration with Education Elements and the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation. This update includes about 50 new companies added, a graphic design refresh (the larger the circle, the more companies in that space!), and revised categorizations in Data and Talent Management. We listened to those of you who emailed us feedback (thanks!) and hope you’ll find your suggestions reflected in the update.
Building a Digital Depository
These are exciting times for education entrepreneurship, technology, and the policy ecosystem that surrounds them both. Whether gauged by new school “startup weekends,” venture capital interest, or simply taking note of educators embracing digital tools, there is no question we are in a special moment. We may be on the verge of transformation that will […]
Learning in 2028
We are happy to make recordings of all the Summit 2013 sessions available to you. You can also check Our Vimeo Page where these and other sessions live.
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.
Summit 2013 Session Videos
We are happy to make recordings of all the Summit 2013 sessions available to you. We will be adding content through out the week so be sure to check back soon for additional sessions. You can also check Our Vimeo Page where the sessions live.
Live from Summit 2013: Closing Plenary
These announcements brought a great close to a busy day filled with numerous engaging speakers and presenters. Thank you for following our live blogging from Summit 2013!