Communmity Schools
Concluding a Decade Long Commitment


The Foundation no longer accepts new community schools proposals. Although we are concluding our commitment to specifically funding the community schools approach, many elements of this approach are embodied in our current district focus.

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Youth Development Principles

We invest in districts and education systems that engage and motivate youth to learn and succeed. See the Principles of Youth Development critical to effective teaching and learning. See videos portraying programs that incorporate the principles.

Education Systems

From Great Schools to Effective Systems

Throughout the country there exist great public schools, inspiring and dedicated teachers, and innovative educational leaders that have transformed their schools. The challenge before us is not the creation of individual pockets of greatness, but rather the development of education systems which reach all students.

No one program or intervention will fix the system...marginal policy changes are unlikely to produce the desired outcomes. Instead such progress requires a new approach to reform, an approach that allows state, district and school decision-makers to improve their practice and thereby enhance the opportunities afforded California's students.

From the Institute for Research on Education Policy & Practice, "Getting Down to Facts: School Finance and Governance in California", September 2007. By Susanna Loeb, Anthony Bryk, and Eric Hanushek
We believe that effective education systems are those with:
  • A supportive learning environment that defines success for students through academic achievement and character development.
  • Teachers who know the content they teach and engage students in their own learning.
  • Effective instructional leaders.
  • District offices that support principals and teachers, and make decisions in the best interests of students.
  • Effective systems to assess student learning, to evaluate what works for students, and to allocate resources accordingly.
  • Partnerships with an engaged community.

We believe that the multiplicity of problems in education systems cannot be successfully addressed one at a time, but rather that it is necessary to address all of the interconnected elements together.

OUR INVESTMENTS
To reach our long-term goals, we focus our investments on the following:
  • Districts & Education Systems. Developing district capabilities and promoting system-wide impact in districts and education systems;
  • Education Leadership. Strengthening school, district and school board leadership to achieve system wide change.
  • Teaching and Learning. Building education systems that provide students with effective and qualified teachers in every class, every day.