Launching NewSchools Catapult: Invent 2015
At NewSchools Venture Fund, we have always had a great affection for early-stage school entrepreneurs who are (re)imagining, (re)designing, and (re)creating the student experience and we are truly excited by all the school leaders realizing these visions in schools and getting great results for students. One of the more famous early innovators, Leonardo daVinci, not […]
Trip Notes: SXSWedu 2015
Last week I was in Austin for SXSWedu, which I’ve attended every year since its launch. I thought I’d share some excerpts from my trip notes: Shark tank has jumped the shark at South-By. Several sessions used the popular television show for inspiration. Here’s a rundown on three of them: Teachers could pitch their classroom […]
NewSchools’ Strategy at a Glance
Over the past month, we have been sharing a couple of the pillars of our strategy going forward. The infographic below captures our vision, rationale and approach in a more visual way. We’re excited to share it, and even more excited about the work ahead. A quick note: in addition to these strategic focus areas, […]
Investing in Tools & Services that Support Innovative Schools
Over the last few weeks, we’ve been sharing some information about our investment strategy at NewSchools. In a January 13 blog post about innovative school models, I acknowledged we’re at the beginning of our work as an investor in schools that put more power in students’ hands and tailor learning to their individual needs. Then […]
Investment Approaches of the Seed Fund – Part III
Tools to Differentiate Instruction in a One-Size-Fits-All Education System Last weekend, I sat in a sewing class with my ten year old daughter and was surprised to learn that ⅓ of our day would be dedicated to programming our sewing machines. The room full of women, most over sixty years old, happily embraced the automation of […]
Where are K-12 Edtech Venture Backed Startups Based?
This is the first post in a series to spotlight trends in K-12 edtech venture funding data. Advantageous location of a startup is no substitute for a great product or entrepreneur, but it may increase the odds of success. In edtech, early success for a startup often hinges on access to talent, early-stage funding, high-quality […]
Investment Approaches of the Seed Fund- Part II
Last week I shared some of our thinking behind our investments in STEM, relevance and communication, found here. With this post, I’ll share our approach for investing in special education and english language learning. Specialized Tools Can Better Reach Children Outside of the Mainstream While traditional venture capital has backed consumer-oriented english language learning tools like Rosetta […]
Brooke Breaks New Ground in Student Achievement
Students at Brooke Charter Schools are 98% black and Latino. Across Brooke’s three Boston campuses, 80% of students qualify for free or reduced price lunches, indicating their families are close to the federal poverty line. Skeptics argue that economic disadvantages, like the disadvantages faced by the students at Brooke, account for intractable gaps in academic […]
UP Shakes Up District Instruction
In 2008, Scott Given left his position as Principal at Excel Academy Charter School in East Boston, Massachusetts. Like many other entrepreneurs, Given left his job to pursue a big idea – to bring the best practices of high-performing charter schools like Excel Academy into district schools. Given’s vision was striking because of the significantly […]
Youth UpRising: Changing a Community, One Young Person at a Time
In the Castlemont neighborhood of East Oakland, one in four people live in poverty. The teenage pregnancy rate is three times the Alameda County average. Homicide is the leading cause of death for residents aged 14-24. These are grim statistics, but there is hope for neighborhood change. A local Castlemont nonprofit, Youth UpRising, is set […]