History of IDEA
Jeannie Oakes, Founder and Former Director
Youth Voice in School Finance
NEW REPORT: Los Angeles' road to A-G for all
Without Dollars and Sense Powerpoint
Past Educational Opportunity Reports
Philanthropy and schools: An insider's view
- 11-18-2011
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Commentary by Heather Zavadsky/Education Week
Heather Zavadsky is the director of research and implementation at the Texas High School Project and the author of Bringing School Reform to Scale: Five Award-Winning Urban Districts.
The logic of partnering with business, higher education, legislators, and community organizations to create pivotal support and pressure points for school improvement is well understood. However, the role of philanthropy in such partnerships is less clear and sometimes misunderstood and, I believe, undervalued. Because foundations have dedicated unprecedented amounts of money to education over the past eight-plus years, some negative assumptions have grown up around their work, and critics have argued that foundations are funding politically driven self-interest projects in education. But consider this: In times when public education is scarce on funding, districts and schools greatly benefit from the ability of philanthropy to support field-tested research on innovative and promising education practices. (more...)
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