Dear friend -
Two years ago, we helped launch EF+Math to test strategies to blend executive function (EF) skill development (like working memory) with math instruction. The program is off to a fantastic start and has developed an amazing, interdisciplinary community of more than 250 educators, researchers, developers, and advisors. Besides creating new, more inclusive ways of conducting research, the program has an exciting aspiration: to double the number of Black and Latino students who are proficient in math in grades three through eight.
I’m thrilled to report that we are expanding our commitment to inclusive, ambitious research. Working closely with the Walton Family Foundation and Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), we are supporting the launch of AERDF, the Advanced Education Research & Development Fund. AERDF is a multi-program R&D fund that accelerates progress against intractable teaching and learning challenges that disproportionately affect Black and Latino students and those experiencing poverty. And with this announcement, a second program, Assessment for Good, focused on dramatically understanding and improving social-emotional health and positive academic outcomes of students in third through seventh grade, with a focus on Black and Latino students. Learn more about their RFP and RFI, open now.
We are proud to support the team launching AERDF and excited that these two programs are the first of many AERDF will design in the coming years. We believe they have the potential to make a significant impact on student success in school and throughout their lives. This is a real milestone for the K-12 team at the foundation.
Of course, as Bill Gates reminds us, big thinking comes with the risk of failure. We are mindful that there is no singular solution in education—there is no one answer. But we are excited about this new approach, which has been transformative in other fields, and we will continue to share with you as it develops.
To learn more,
- Find out more about our investment in our joint-oped in the Chronicle of Philanthropy
- Visit the AERDF website
- Read the latest about EF+Math from Melina Uncapher and Imani Goffney
In partnership,
Bob Hughes
@BobHughesK12
P.S. you can also check out some of the coverage of the AEDRF launch. This Ed week piece is particularly insightful.