TIME features Blue Engine in documentary on American dream

Watch this TIME video to see how BlueEngine schools are preparing students for success at high levels. http://ti.me/183Six3   On Tuesday night, Michelle Obama was joined by a handful of people to watch the President’s State of the Union address in person. From astronaut Scott Kelly to Alan Gross, the foreign aid worker who was recently […]

New Chronicle Award Will Honor Top Bay Area Visionary

Innovation is as much a part of the Bay Area as the fog in San Francisco, houseboats in Sausalito or sunshine in Santa Clara. It is where creative leaders, trendsetters and game changers proliferate — where genius is part of the kaleidoscope of culture. This abundance of brilliance is why The Chronicle has decided to […]

Michael Brown, Tamir Rice and Education Reform

Great schools matter for kids. I believe they are the most powerful force we have for reducing economic and social inequality in the United States over the long run. But it’s a mistake to work on “fixing” schools while ignoring the conditions and beliefs that make it possible for chronically underperforming schools to persist in the first place. Or the crushing realities they perpetuate in communities across the country.

News Release – Kaymbu Announces Funding from NewSchools Venture Seed Fund

Funding signals importance of using technology to engage parents with their child’s learning & growth in the classroom Kaymbu, an iPad-based education solution that enables teachers to document and share visual learning moments from the classroom, announced funding from NewSchools Seed Fund. The Seed Fund invests in educational technology companies developing technology solutions for the […]

Startup Founders Apply Education Experience

Former educators with technology interests are increasingly making their way from classrooms into the startup world as they try to use their school expertise to create ed-tech products and services that solve common problems. What these new “edupreneurs” are often lacking is the knowledge needed to launch and run a business. Even if the concept […]

Zynga.org’s Game-Based Learning Accelerator Pairs Newbies With Experienced Players

Co.lab is a start-up accelerator that focuses on learning games. A partnership between Zynga.org and the New School Venture Fund, co.lab “works with startups leveraging the power of digital games to build transformative educational technologies for PK-12 students and teachers.” Their third cohort was just announced. It includes seven start-ups “founded by a talented and […]

News Release – Seven Edtech Companies Win ‘iHub Pitch Games’ Challenge to Test Their Technology in Classrooms

SAN JOSE, Calif., Sept. 9, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Seven education technology startups from across the nation emerged as winners today of the “iHub Pitch Games” held at The Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose, earning the opportunity to test their science and math-friendly software in Silicon Valley schools. The seven entrepreneurs selected are: BrightLoop, a web-based tool […]

Educators must do more to reach young men of color

It’s my first time at the New Schools Venture Fund conference, and I’m excited to exchange ideas with entrepreneurs, educators and policymakers. The day will be brimming with innovative approaches to transforming public education for underserved students. But what strikes me first is that, for once, my reflexive search of the room for brown and black faces […]

KELOWNA EDTECH STARTUP FRESHGRADE RAISES $4.3 MILLION SEED ROUND

Kelowna-based edtech startup FreshGrade has raised a $4.3 million seed round led by NewSchools Venture Fund, Emerson Collective, Accel Partners and Social Capital. Designed by developers in collaboration with teachers and parents, FreshGrade is an education resource for administrators, teachers, and parents allowing for maximum classroom engagement and real-time assessment. The company said it does this […]