The most important thing we can do to give young people the opportunity to succeed is to make sure they have a high-quality education that works for them. This means supporting the growth of schools that transform the lives of children, especially those from low-income communities. It means believing in the uniqueness of each child, school and community and understanding that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. And it means supporting excellence in teaching by helping educators do their best for their students. That’s why the foundation collaborates with schools of all kinds – public charter schools, traditional district schools and private schools – on bold ideas that will prepare students for a lifetime of success in school, career and life.

We support new ideas that have a measurable impact on student success. And we tailor and scale what works to meet the urgent needs of today’s students and create lasting change for future generations.

View the K-12 Education Program 2020 Strategic Plan >

The foundation supports efforts in a select number of cities and states to grow the number of high-quality schools that meet the needs of students and the community, recruit and train great teachers and school leaders, develop tools that help parents find the best school for their child and bring family and community voices to the forefront of discussions and decisions about education.

We measure progress by the number of children, especially those from low-income communities, who can access schools that prepare them for success, public policies that put educators in charge of the decisions that matter most in a school like staffing and curriculum and more parents finding and enrolling their child in the high-quality school that best meets their needs and supports them in reaching their full potential.