Education Reform

The Walton Family Foundation is committed to improving K-12 student achievement in the United States at every level – in traditional public schools, charter public schools and private schools. Our core strategy is to infuse competitive pressure into America’s K-12 education system by increasing the quantity and quality of school choices available to parents, especially in low-income communities. When all families are empowered to choose from among several quality school options, all schools will be fully motivated to provide the best possible education. Better school performance leads, in turn, to higher student achievement, lower dropout rates and greater numbers of students entering and completing college.

• We invested $157 million in K-12 education reform in 2010.

Through three distinct initiatives, we invest our efforts to shift decision-making power over where a child attends school to his or her family by:

• Shaping public policy;
• Creating quality schools; and
• Improving existing schools.

In 2009, we increased our focus on a select number of Market Share Demonstration Sites where we hope to demonstrate that parental choice can inspire meaningful improvements in the education system and higher academic achievement for all students. So far, we have selected seven of these demonstration sites: Albany, Denver, East and South Los Angeles, Milwaukee, New Orleans, Newark and Washington, D.C.

• A full list of our Education Reform grantees can be found here: 2010 Walton Family Foundation Grants

• Meet our Education Reform team.

• Want to know when we make announcements about K-12 Systemic Education Reform? Sign up here.