Background: Evaluation is a tool that can promote accountability and enhance organizational improvement. For these reasons funding entities from government to foundations are increasingly relying on program evaluation as a key instrument to determine effectiveness and hold recipient organizations accountable. What has ensued is an environment of…

First launched in April 2009, the Common Core State Standards Initiative was conceived to identify and develop college- and career-readiness standards that address what students are expected to know and be able to do when they have graduated from high school. The initiative introduced the final version of the standards in June 2010, and by…

Background: The philosophical underpinnings of evaluation guidelines set forth by a funding agency can sometimes seem inconsistent with that of the intervention. Purpose: Our purpose is to introduce questions pertaining to the contrast between the instructional program's underlying philosophical beliefs and assumptions and those underlying our…

The shift in education reform to a goal of college and career readiness for all students is a change that has been embraced widely across the country. The challenge of designing new policies and programs that could accomplish the goal that all students should graduate from high school with the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in college…

College and university leaders must remain responsive to their environments by promoting institutional innovation and change. External grant-funders, such as foundations, view themselves as initiators of change. Foundations can provide the necessary tools to jump start innovation within colleges and universities. However, despite the best…

In 2003, a few years after the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation began implementing its small schools reform agenda, the Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education (DOE) announced a plan to replace large failing high schools in New York City with 200 small schools. In short order, the foundation and the Chancellor became partners…

In 2003, a few years after the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation began implementing its small schools reform agenda, the Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education (DOE) announced a plan to replace large failing high schools in New York City with 200 small schools. In short order, the foundation and the Chancellor became partners with…

In this article, the author features the George Lucas Education Foundation (GLEF) and its Edutopia initiatives. The George Lucas Educational Foundation, the 19-year-old organization that runs Edutopia, has given itself a mission to "spread the word about ideal, interactive learning environments and enable others to adapt these successes locally."…

In the last year, advocacy groups have churned out reports on how all kinds of students--those who work, are minorities, attend less-selective colleges, or come from low-income families--struggle in higher education. They have talked about the needs of the modern workforce, and how the United States is falling behind. All coalesced around the same…

Education programs are increasingly appealing to all types of funders and should not be overlooked in a museum's fundraising efforts. The economy and the rise of private family and corporate foundations make funders more and more interested in the enhanced and lasting impact museums can make in their communities. (Contains 4 notes.)

After Dr. Larry Earvin became Huston-Tillotson University president, he crafted an annual black-tie gala to raise scholarship funds. Despite the country's economic doldrums, Earvin's event this year netted proceeds pushing the cumulative total since 2004 to more than $1 million. When Beverly Hogan became Tougaloo College president, she urged…

The Concurrent Courses Initiative (CCI), supported by The James Irvine Foundation from 2008 to 2011, funded a selection of secondary-postsecondary partnerships in California to implement or enhance career-focused dual enrollment programs. These programs specifically targeted youth who were low-income, struggling academically, or within populations…

This publication is only available as a downloadable file. See who's giving and getting grants in your field. Strengthen your search for funds with the Foundation Center's digital edition of "Grants for Children & Youth." This new "Grant Guide" reveals the scope of current foundation giving in the field. You'll find descriptions of 37,992 grants…

The society is engaged in an exploration with The Getty Grant Foundation regarding a partnership to, among other things, create useful and accessible resources and tools to encourage the preservation of heritage buildings, sites, and landscapes. SCUP charter member and prolific author, Richard P. ("Dick") Dober, is one of those advising SCUP as it…

Although support for K-12 education has long been a priority for philanthropic organizations, foundations are increasingly choosing to play a leading role in fostering the development and implementation of new policies designed to reform K-12 education. This article is an effort to understand the strategies and tactics employed by foundations…