Whether in the western region of the state or the plains of the northeast corner, the ground has continued to shift under the feet of Colorado's rural charter school and district leaders. Efforts to understand the needs of Colorado's school communities early in the COVID-19 pandemic surfaced challenges with providing internet access, digital…

What supports were needed to enable the small learning communities, or pods, that emerged in 2020 and 2021? While learning pods may have emerged as a temporary response to a crisis, some persisted in fall 2021, either because of continued uncertainty over the pandemic's trajectory or because of their potential value as part of new structure for…

This article discusses new philanthropy participation in public education in the context of the broader transnational policymaking landscape. Drawing on data published by the Lemann Foundation on its official Twitter, now known as X, along with previous research from the authors, this article examines how policy problems are framed for the general…

As schools transitioned to virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, community-based organizations pivoted from providing afterschool programs to dealing with all manner of crises and basic needs. Some out-of-school time (OST) providers stayed open to provide full-day programs for the children of first responders and essential workers, while…

As schools across the country closed in March 2020 at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was not clear how long in-person education would be disrupted. The abrupt transition to remote learning was particularly challenging for districts in rural communities, many of which have long lacked reliable access to high-speed internet and…

It is not possible to predict how we might re-exist/resist while most of our bodies fail to be hospitable to the virus. For now, what seems possible, and potent, is to make strange the solutions we have been putting into practice, while sharing the world and our bodies with this enemy / companion species. This article focuses on some solutions…

How can funders create a grantmaking strategy that puts them in a position to quickly and effectively respond to unpredictable challenges? This case study follows strategy redevelopment for The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation's education program. The re-envisioning of the strategy ensured the education program team could be nimble and…

In March 2020, the nation's schools began shutting down in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. More than 55 million students as well as teachers, administrators and families have had to adapt at lightning speed. Philanthropists have responded quickly, but the need for educating students has garnered little funding attention so far. As the…

In March 2020, a pandemic brought traditional in-classroom learning to a halt for more than 55 million students in the U.S. Teachers and families, in most cases, found themselves scrambling to provide remote learning at short notice. What may have seemed like a fast solution, moving to online instruction, has highlighted challenges for many…

Purpose: The National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) programs are traditionally delivered in-person and full-time (40 h per week) for 10 weeks during the summer. However, this type of format has the potential to limit broader student participation. This study aims to compare learning assessment data between a…

The Voluntary Support of Education (VSE) annual survey has collected data on fundraising outcomes in higher education institutions in the United States. It is regarded as the definitive source of information on philanthropic support of those institutions. Data from the survey are used to estimate total charitable support of all institutions of…

During the spring of 2020, Grantmakers for Education held four master classes, which are described in this report; centered around the theme of authentic community engagement: (1) How Should Philanthropy Create More Inclusive Spaces?; (2) Listening to and Learning from Leaders of Color in the COVID-19 Crisis; (3) The Power of Collaboration with…

The coronavirus has magnified existing racial injustices and educational inequities. Philanthropy will play a key role in facilitating higher education's recovery from the pandemic, but its relationship with the field needs to evolve to enact a more equitable and sustainable future. Informed by survey responses from 30 grantee partners (e.g.,…

Through the American Rescue Plan (ARP), states received an amount of federal funds to address the educational needs of students during and after the pandemic. The stimulus funds created both opportunities and challenges for state educational agencies (SEAs). This brief highlights how the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) has used several…

The 2020-21 Fordham Sponsorship Annual Report provides insight into our sponsorship work during the last school year, one of the most challenging imaginable for schools, students, and families. As expected, student outcomes on 2020-21 state assessments were lower across all schools last year, but other traditional academic outcome data were once…