Leading Educators receives $10 million gift from MacKenzie Scott to accelerate racially equitable outcomes for students

Investment will fuel innovations in teacher learning models to double the number of students served by 2025

New Orleans, La. (February 1, 2022) – Today, Leading Educators announced a $10 million gift from author MacKenzie Scott to expand access to equitable and excellent teaching in America. Leading Educators will use the funds to champion a vision for student experience that integrates academics, well-being, and identity while developing innovative models for school systems to improve classroom practice amid pandemic recovery. 

Learning disruptions during the pandemic exacerbated already disproportionate challenges for students of color and those experiencing poverty. Now, many school districts face staffing challenges and a steep climb for learning recovery. Leading Educators will use a decade of experience partnering with the fastest-improving school systems in the country to increase support for teachers and students in greatest need. 

Leading Educators, whose district partners currently reach 1 in 30 U.S. students, has a record of growing supportive school conditions, diverse leadership, and student learning in school systems of all sizes and with varying strengths.

• In Louisiana, partner charter schools evaluated with the RAND Corporation showed academic gains in math of 12 percentile points in one academic year, gains equivalent to closing one-third of the opportunity gap between black and white students.
• Alongside D.C. Public Schools, Leading Educators developed and scaled the ground-breaking LEAP professional learning strategy across 116 schools in 3 years. College readiness in English language arts and math increased by 15 percent and 11.5 percent respectively in the first four years of implementation.
• In a soon-to-be-released study with EdPolicyForward, Leading Educators found that schools that partnered over two years accelerated math learning and increased the number of college-ready students by 14 percent. 

“Leading Educators builds lasting capacity so all teachers are prepared to teach for equity and excellence. Leading Educators gets real results under challenging circumstances because our people have been in the shoes of our partners. With this backing from MacKenzie Scott, we’re ready to accelerate racially equitable outcomes across school systems,” said Chong-Hao Fu, Chief Executive Officer of Leading Educators. 

Board chair Kara Helander shared, “I couldn’t be prouder of what the organization has achieved. Its impact is extraordinary and leads to sustained change. I’m excited that with this grant, we can change the trajectory of more students and the educators who empower them.”

Currently, Leading Educators operates partnerships in Baltimore, Charleston, Chicago, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Los Angeles, Louisiana, Oakland, Tulsa, and Yakima. This gift positions Leading Educators to double the number of students reached each year to nearly 400,000 students.

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About Leading Educators

Leading Educators is reinventing professional development for teachers, igniting the potential for exponential impact in pursuit of equity. We exist to ensure school systems have the strategy and tools to become the just and fair environments that every student deserves. 

We guide partners to strengthen the conditions for adult learning, such as collaboration time and quality curriculum, build enduring instructional leadership, and establish effective and engaging teaching practice. With better support and by working together, teachers can transform opportunities across schools and communities. Learn more at leadingeducators.org.

CONTACT:

Adan Garcia, Director of Communications
[email protected], 202-510-0827