Shift has received $1.4 million to strengthen opportunities for Networks of School Improvement (NSI) grantees. Shift will facilitate cohorts of education-focused organizations and school teams to take collective action that accelerates and amplifies equity in schools. Funded by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, these cohorts will support NSIs as they learn by doing – using rigorous continuous improvement methods. They will also build the knowledge, tools, and practices that put critical concepts into action and share lessons to benefit the larger NSI and education community.
Education in the U.S. faces a critical moment. The global pandemic has created daunting challenges for schools while our nation is experiencing a reckoning with racism and deep political divisions. It will take innovative solutions to navigate changing learning environments and ensure equitable outcomes for all young people. The foundation’s NSI participants use equity and data-driven continuous improvement methods to introduce and test evidence-based solutions in schools and school systems. NSI supports school systems to improve key outcomes that predict college readiness and postsecondary graduation rates for Black and Latinx students and students experiencing poverty.
Shift will use this award to create and facilitate the first of four NSI Breakthrough Cohorts which will build on their programmatic successes, test solutions for the future, and share that knowledge with the larger educational community.
“The organizations leading these networks are committed to transforming the experience of school for Black, Latinx, and low-income students, and we couldn’t be more excited to partner with them to accelerate their efforts,” says Karen Zeribi, Founder and CEO of Shift. “Shift’s approach to continuous improvement centers students and other practitioners who are often overlooked, encouraging reflection on organizational power and decision-making to cultivate trust and teamwork. These are essential components to successful and sustainable improvement.”
Right now, Shift is designing the first of four Breakthrough Cohorts. Each cohort will have access to subject matter experts who are working on a specified challenge.
Stay tuned for updates from Shift about this program.