Public Education Working Group

>About the group (.pdf) To join the Public Education Working Group or learn more, e-mail Erica Pressman.

From WG Daily:

Promoting awareness and action around public education; positioning grantmakers to play a role in influencing education policy; focusing primarily on teacher/leadership development, and advocacy/organizing.

Chair:
Viki Betancourt, The World Bank

Vice-Chair:
Anne Gunsteens, The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation

Here's what PEWG has been up to in the last few months...

Investing in Innovation Fund

In response to the Department of Education's creation of the $650 million Investing in Innovation Fund (i3), PEWG and CYF took the initiative to create a process in collaboration with DC Public Schools and the DC Public Education Fund to serve as a liaison between the school district and nonprofits seeking to partner with DCPS on an i3 application.

The collaboration, which included WG facilitating a proposal process for DCPS and WG members serving in an advisory capacity to vet potential nonprofit partners, helped DCPS identify the strongest potential partners for i3 initiatives. The school district has asked WG to continue playing an advisory role as the organizations work on their i3 federal grant applications. Twenty nonprofits began the process; the review group invited 8 to present to their nonprofit colleagues, funders and DCPS. Ultimately 4 organizations were selected to partner with DCPS.

Briefing on District College Access Providers

PEWG members received an update on a program being managed by La Piana designed to provide counseling and guidance to the self-identified nonprofits who are interested in participating in a District program that helps college access providers restructure for sustainability into more efficient, scalable entities. A number of PEWG members are directly supporting the project.