PRESS RELEASE: Six Regional Organizations Award Grants to 49 "Breakthrough" Schools

Contact:
Kristi DePaul
Sarah Luchs, sluchs@educause.edu
614.286.9309

Washington, D.C., June 17, 2015 – Educators from 49 schools across the U.S. have been competitively selected to receive funding and supports in a groundbreaking $25 million K-12 innovation effort, launched in 2014 by Next Generation Learning Challenges (NGLC). Through the Regional Funds for Breakthrough Schools, six community-based education organizations have successfully led local grant competitions that support principles of next generation learning: personalized, competency-based, blended learning, activated by project-based approaches and staked to rigorous, college- and career-ready outcomes. 

The six partner organizations are CityBridge Foundation (Washington, D.C.); The Colorado Education Initiative; LEAP Innovations (Chicago, Ill.); New Schools for New Orleans; New England Secondary School Consortium (working in five New England states); and the Rogers Family Foundation (Oakland, Calif.). 

Each organization is investing between $1.8M and $3M in local design teams to generate new or conversion schools, with a mix of national and (in some regions) locally-raised funding. In addition, some grantees will receive additional supports in the form of coaching, professional development opportunities, and technology support. In the fall of 2015, 29 redesigned or new K-12 schools are scheduled to open. By fall of 2016, that number will increase to nearly 50 breakthrough schools serving more than 25,000 students across ten states. 

NGLC defines rigorous outcomes for breakthrough schools: at least 1.5 years of growth annually in math and English/language arts—an ambitious but necessary goal for students who are behind in specific subject areas or grade levels; a 90 percent high school graduation rate; and at least 80 percent of students meeting benchmarks for deeper learning and college readiness and enrolling in college or another form of postsecondary education.

The NGLC initiative, which is managed by the nonprofit, Colorado-based organization EDUCAUSE, has a history of supporting quality educational innovation at scale; since 2012, it has catalyzed a national network of 41 breakthrough model schools (with more on the way), investing more than $23 million in funding provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. 

“This is a very exciting time in K-12 education; the schools being launched through the Regional Funds are joining a national cohort of genuine changemakers,” said Andy Calkins, deputy director of Next Generation Learning Challenges. “Once the Regional Funds schools join that national cohort, there will be more than 100 schools serving 50,000 students with these transformed teaching and learning models. All of this work reflects and has been driven by the vision, knowledge, energy and dedication of educators at the ground level who passionately believe that public education, re-imagined, can generate far superior outcomes for their students.” 

The six Regional Funds partner organizations were selected in 2014 based on several criteria, including: clear leadership consensus supporting their vision of next generation learning; a high-capacity local organization to direct the work; a supportive policy environment to enable fundamental redesign of learning models and school structures and practices; and innovative, pioneering educators ready to lead this groundbreaking work. 

Funding for the Regional Funds initiative is being provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, and the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, along with local funders in several of the Fund sites. 

About Next Generation Learning Challenges: 

Next Generation Learning Challenges (NGLC) accelerates educational innovation through applied technology to dramatically improve college readiness and completion. NGLC is managed by EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit association whose mission is to advance higher education through the use of information technology. Since 2011, NGLC has provided more than $65 million in investment capital to foster the development of transformational K-12 and postsecondary models aimed at improving the quality and depth of learning outcomes in the U.S., particularly for low-income students. Funding for NGLC has been provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. 

About EDUCAUSE: 

EDUCAUSE is a higher education technology association. The organization has an estimated 60,000 active members in over 40 countries. The EDUCAUSE annual conference is considered one of the best technology conferences in higher education. EDUCAUSE holds over 20 face-to-face events each year that reach approximately 11,500 individuals, with thousands more involved in online events. The association produces various publications for its members including the award-winning EDUCAUSE Review, with a bimonthly print circulation of 22,000 and online unique monthly views of 100,000. For more information, visit www.educause.edu.                    

###

Breakthrough Schools Chicago 2015 Cohort

Regional Funds Partner: LEAP Innovations

• Acceleration Academy of Chicago
• Belmont-Cragin Elementary School
• Chicago International Charter School (CICS)--Irving Park
• Chicago International Charter School (CICS)--Prairie Elementary School
• Disney II Magnet School
• Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep Academy High School
• Gillespie Elementary School
• Intrinsic Charter High School
• Joseph Lovett Elementary School
• Robert Lindblom Math and Science Academy
• Lorca Elementary School
• Moving Everest Charter Elementary
• Patrick Henry Elementary School
• Poe Classical Elementary School
• University of Chicago Charter School - Donoghue
• UCSN Santiago Elementary School

Breakthrough Schools New Orleans 2015 Cohort

Regional Funds Partner: New Schools for New Orleans

• Rooted School
• Noble Minds Institute for Whole Child Learning
• New Orleans Charter Science and Math High School
• KIPP McDonough 15 Middle School
• Akili Academy of New Orleans

Breakthrough Schools Colorado

Regional Funds Partner: The Colorado Education Initiative

• Ranum Middle School, Adams County District 50
• Westminster High School, Adams County District 50
• Trailblazer Elementary School, Colorado Springs School District 11
• Holmes Middle School, Colorado Springs School District 11
• Contrad Ball Middle School, Thompson School District
• Mountain View High School, Thompson School District

New England NextGen Personalized Learning Schools

Regional Funds Partner: New England Secondary School Consortium

Connecticut

• High School in the Community, New Haven Public Schools
• Metropolitan Business Academy, New Haven Public Schools
• New Haven Academy, New Haven Public Schools
• New Fairfield Middle School, New Fairfield Public Schools
• New Fairfield High School, New Fairfield Public Schools

Maine

• Deer Isle-Stonington High School, Deer Isle Stonington Central School District
• Hall-Dale Middle School & High School, Kennebec Intra-District Schools/RSU 2
• Monmouth Academy, Kennebec Intra-District Schools/RSU 2
• Richmond Middle School & High School, Kennebec Intra-District Schools/RSU 2\
• Noble High School, Maine School Administrative District (MSAD) #60

New Hampshire

• Great Bay Charter School, Exeter, NH
• Manchester School of Technology, Manchester School District/SAU #37
• Pittsfield Middle High School, Pittsfield School District/SAU #51

Rhode Island

• Alan Shawn Feinstein Middle School, Coventry Public Schools of RI
• Central Falls High School, Central Falls School District
• Cumberland High School, Cumberland School Department
• Ponaganset High School, Foster-Glocester Regional Schools

Vermont

• Cabot School, Washington Northeast Supervisory Union
• Harwood Union Middle/High School, Washington West Supervisory Union
• Twinfield Union School, Washington Northeast Supervisory Union

NGLC in Oakland

Regional Funds Partner: Rogers Family Foundation

• ASCEND, Education for Change
• Envision Academy, Envision Education
• Garfield Elementary School, Oakland Unified School District
• La Escuelita Elementary School, Oakland Unified School District
• Lighthouse II, Lighthouse Community Charter Public Schools (renamed Lodestar)
• Oakland Unity Middle School, Unity Public Schools
• Redwood Heights Elementary Schools, Oakland Unified School District
• Roosevelt Middle School, Oakland Unified School District
• Urban Montessori Charter School
• Urban Promise Academy, Oakland Unified School District

Breakthrough Schools: D.C.

Regional Funds Partner: CityBridge Education

• Capital City Public Charter School
• Cleveland Elementary School
• DC International School
• Mundo Verde Bilingual PCS
• Sustainable Futures
• Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter High School
• Two Rivers Public Charter School