Empowering students to read and write is fundamental to their ability to learn across subject areas and communicate with others. Building students’ math abilities, from early math skills through algebraic thinking, enables them to make sense of the world around them, analyze complex topics, and solve problems. Together, literacy and numeracy reinforce each other and create a foundation for students to build success in and beyond school – preparing young people to achieve their goals, participate in society, and live happy, healthy lives. 

Foundational literacy and numeracy are especially important now, as students are faced not just with higher expectations, but also unprecedented levels of unfinished learning caused by pandemic-related school closures and the resulting life and mental health challenges that followed. There is a critical need for innovation to increase student access to effective K-8 reading and math experiences.

What We’re Looking For

NewSchools will invest in K-8 reading and math solutions that build foundational skills. Specifically, we will fund tools, content, and models that address the following critical opportunities:

• Engaging and empowering students to build critical skills, such as reading comprehension and algebraic thinking, that set a foundation for learning and success 
• Supporting teachers and families to deliver grade-level and differentiated instruction that meet a range of student needs
• Leveraging generative AI to increase access to accurate, research-based learning experiences that are both personalized and instructionally rigorous

Across these opportunities, we are interested in solutions that prioritize equity and quality, enhance human relationships, and enable high-quality instruction that is effective for a wide range of students, including students with learning differences and multilingual learners.