We Helped Two Schools Create Reopening Plans — Here Are Five Lessons

By Heather McManus, NewSchools Venture Fund & Jeff Shulz, Bellwether Education Partners Photo by Mark Rabe This post was originally published on Ahead of the Heard, the blog of Bellwether Education Partners.  With school starting in most places in a few weeks, school and network leaders are under tremendous pressure to finalize their reopening plans. With […]

What are pandemic pods, and what do they mean for education?

By Jason Weeby, Director of Strategic Initiatives, NewSchools Venture Fund Occasionally, after the kids are in bed, my neighbor comes over to have a beer. Sitting six feet apart in my backyard, we compare notes on how we’re coping as we raise young kids during a pandemic and a national reckoning with racism. After the […]

Keep the older kids at home and use middle and high schools for elementary students

By Leo Bialis-White, Senior Associate Partner, NewSchools Venture Fund Updates! Back in May, Greg Richmond and Peter Cunningham were some of the first to advocate for reallocating secondary school buildings in The 74. Evidence about how children in different age groups transmit the coronavirus wasn’t out then, which only strengthens their argument. Emily Oster of ParentData blog came to a similar […]

COVID-19 is Upending What “Schooltime” Means. And that’s a good thing.

By Leo Bialis-White, Senior Associate Partner, NewSchools Venture Fund One hundred and eighty days per year. Six and a half hours per day. For decades, the lines separating in-school and out-of-school time have been clear and immutable. Families, schools, after-school providers, and unions built everything around this static structure. Now, COVID-19 is radically changing the […]

Three Principles School Leaders Can Use to Reduce COVID-19 Risk

By David Noah, Comp Sci High Jason Shaad, Charter School Growth Fund Miho Kubagawa, NewSchools Venture Fund Photo by Andy Falconer Are face shields just as effective as face masks? What does social distancing look like for early elementary school students? Should we take everyone’s temperature upon arrival? How often should playground equipment be cleaned? School […]

When and How to Explore a Nonprofit Merger

By Amy Omand, Chief Financial Officer, NewSchools Venture Fund The economic outlook in the world has changed rapidly in the past few months. The unemployment rate is at historic highs, businesses are struggling to make ends meet, and each news cycle triggers volatility in the stock markets. The nonprofit sector, which accounts for 10% of […]