New Profit has always invested in social entrepreneurs who work at the deep-root levels of systemic inequity to seed and scale holistic change. In 2013, we brought that approach to our educational system’s structural neglect of underserved students by launching Reimagine Learning: a $38M, six-year fund designed to build out nascent ideas that had—and still have— transformative and scalable potential across the U.S. education system.
The insight driving Reimagine Learning was one of targeted universalism — by working to change education in service of students on the margins and knowing what we know now about the science of learning, we could lift all boats and improve the education system for all.
A Four-Pronged Initiative
Funding and Capacity Building
We invested in 25 high-potential organizations collectively serving over 7M students nationwide led by visionary social entrepreneurs. Our $15M investment helped them scale their innovations and enhance their organizational capacity and sustainability, with an eye toward helping them better address the needs of underserved students. We also provided strategic advisory support and $9M in pro bono services from Monitor Institute by Deloitte and Vantage Partners.
Policy & Advocacy
Through our nonpartisan policy arm, America Forward, we drove powerful, practitioner-led federal and state policy advocacy to advance public policies that support the success of the most underserved students. In 2016, the group successfully advocated for key provisions in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) that reflected Reimagine Learning’s emphasis on personalized learning, equity, and access.
Network Engagement
To accelerate educational de-siloing and cross-sector interconnection, we formed a network of over 700 social entrepreneurs, funders, policy-influencers, practitioners, students, and thought leaders in the educational field to share insights, generate ideas, and identify opportunities for partnership. The network led to tangible outcomes: over 300 formal partnerships were launched between network organizations and $30M in additional funding directed to network organizations was generated through relationships created within the network.
Regional Initiatives
In order to take our learnings into the classroom, we completed three projects in Essex County, MA to develop proof points of districts and schools that are fundamentally transforming to better support all students, particularly the most underserved and those with diverse learning assets and needs. We helped them conduct collaborative research, high-impact academic interventions, and professional development, and codify a community-driven strategic planning process.
The Future of Learning
It’s critical to build specific understandings of and supports for those students whose needs are systematically unmet by the current system. Imagining and delivering solutions for diverse learners depends on diverse and deep collaboration and integration at multiple layers of the education ecosystem. One of the key insights Reimagine Learning yielded was the importance of breaking down silos and working collectively to share knowledge, align actions, and spark collaborations between leading education organizations across the country. Additionally, we are more aware of the needs of diverse, complex learners when evaluating organizations to fund and we look to diversify our portfolio and staff along lines of learning profiles. We continue to incorporate these learnings into New Profit’s education work.