Creating Common Assignments: The Impact of Teacher Designed Instructional Units

REAL CHEM is a digital chemistry course that’s improving student learning and helping close achievement gaps in high-enrollment gateway courses. Designed with students and faculty in mind, it combines active learning, real-time feedback, and embedded AI support to drive better student outcomes.

The Gates Foundation is transitioning its U.S. Economic Mobility and Opportunity strategy to NextLadder Ventures, aiming to accelerate progress in lifting people out of poverty through bold investments and partnerships, while honoring the significant impact and stories of its past work.

September may signal a return to the classroom, but today’s learners are redefining what “back to school” really means. This newsletter explores how institutions are evolving to meet the needs of students and how success is increasingly being measured by value and impact, not prestige. We highlight standout institutions that are proving putting students first isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s a strategy that works.