Last week, I traveled to Washington, D.C. to join educators, school administrators and youth advocates to discuss how policy, research, and philanthropy each play a role in advancing the science behind social and emotional learning.Read More

Having spent most of my adult life in Houston, my heart breaks for the people of Texas and all my loved ones and former colleagues and students enduring the trauma, devastation, and physical hardship of Hurricane Harvey. It was the end of my first year of teaching in Houston’s Denver Harbor neighborhood when Tropical Storm Allison unleashed flooding across the city. As a young person living through my first natural disaster, I experienced the juxtaposition of sudden and unexpected loss, and the incredible resilience of individuals and communities in the face of adversity.Read More

FOSTERING a growth mindset in students When Carol Dweck was working on her doctorate in social and developmental psychology at Yale University, she became intrigued with a fundamental question about education:  Why do some students give up in the face of failure, while others thrive?Read More

In the United States, race and class remain the most reliable predictors of students’ academic achievement. Despite increasing investments, raising academic standards, focusing on teacher quality, and expanding charter schools the post-secondary completion gap between students of color and their white peers has increased in the last few decades. Our public school system and our nation are becoming more diverse while inequities remain entrenched.Read More

Hundreds of teachers at Seattle Public Schools tomorrow will wear Black Lives Matter shirts and discuss the Movement for Black Lives with their students during the district's Day of Unity, which aims to draw attention to racial equity. The action has drawn widespread attention, including both praise and criticism. As a funder focused on equity in education and as a member of the Seattle community, we wanted to share our perspective on this important moment.Read More

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Raikes Foundation today announced a new partnership to help Washington’s 35,000 homeless students find the support and stability they need to thrive. The two foundations have joined with the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation and the Campion Foundation to collectively commit $1.86 million to the effort, known as Schoolhouse Washington.Read More

It may be your daughter’s best friend. It may be the captain of the football team. It may be the new student who just transferred in. It may be the one who has lived in your neighborhood for as long as you can remember. What we know is that the vast majority of public schools serve at least one student experiencing homelessness. In fact, the average public school has 14 students facing this crisis.Read More

Earlier this month, I had the privilege of introducing author Paul Tough at the NewSchools Venture Fund Summit. Paul’s book “How Children Succeed” had a big impact on my wife, Tricia, and me. It highlighted what really matters in supporting children to succeed academically. The compelling case it made for the importance of non-cognitive skills galvanized much of the work we’ve done at the Raikes Foundation over the past several years around learning mindsets and skills.Read More

In 2014, the Raikes Foundation helped establish the Mindset Scholars Network to improve student outcomes and expand educational opportunity by advancing the scientific understanding of learning mindsets.Read More

We are constantly inspired by what teachers are doing to create classrooms that empower all students with learning mindsets and skills. Check out this great example of Chana Stewart using “process praise” to encourage her East Palo Alto 1st graders to operate with a growth mindset.Read More