Sign Up For Our Newsletter

Great Funders Funding! 

(10th) Best of Teachers Teaching
(9th) Nine Data Dancing
(8th) Charter Schools Leading
(7th) Opportunity Scholars Expanding
(6th) Parent Power Growing
(5th) State Policy Changing
(4th) Reformie Ladies Lunching
(3rd) A Global Hub for Technology
 (2nd) Model Legislation
And a Nominee for Opportunity!

 

The 11th in our 12-ish days of Christmas series, intended to bring gifts to education reformers everywhere!

We would be remiss if we didn’t dedicate a day to those who put their money where their mouth is and back the idea that innovation and opportunity can thrive to produce better outcomes in education.

Of course, the first person that comes to mind is the late John Walton – the driving force behind the Walton Family Foundation’s original education reform investments who believed in school choice because it was the right thing to do.

Another “giant of freedom” is the late Lovett “Pete” Peters, who ardently believed all children deserve superb teachers and an excellent education. At the age of 75, Peters dedicated himself to improving education in his home state of Massachusetts and across the nation. His legacy lives on in the organization he founded (the Pioneer Institute) and the Massachusetts charter schools (of which he played a key role in bringing to the Commonwealth) achieving great results for kids today.

And speaking of great results, when comedian John Oliver inaccurately portrayed charter schools last summer, Janine Yass – a charter school founder and philanthropist – was one of the first to spring to action to make sure these falsehoods didn’t stick. “Your show hurt poor children,” she personally wrote to Oliver, and worked with the Center to give charter schools a voice trough the “Hey John Oliver, Back Off My Charter School!” video contest, awarding $100K to the charter school that best portrayed why their school worked better for them than their assigned district school. Janine and Jeff Yass epitomize the spirit of “Great Funders Funding” ed opportunity both nationally and in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area.

In the words of John Walton, “If you’re going to do something, you should do it the best you can do.” Those are words the Center lives by in our day-to-day work. And we owe a huge thank you to the Great Funders Funding out there who believe in that vision and make it possible for us to relentlessly pursue true innovation and opportunity in education – and not stand for anything less – so that US students, families and communities continue to reach new heights.