NewSchools Venture Fund

08/14/2026

We’ve got a few sessions up for voting on the SXSW EDU Conference & Festival PanelPicker.

If you’re interested in:

-AI that works behind the scenes instead of on a screen

-schools that don’t look anything like the ones we grew up in

-what teaching could look like when the job actually makes sense

-getting kids excited about math without losing the human connection

-the overlooked lever that could improve outcomes for every student
building tech that’s accessible from day one

-how a proven edtech fix grows into real systemwide change
..go vote for us! ❤️ You know where the link is. (P.S. you can just click the hearts all the way down if you like us that much) 😉

08/07/2026

Happy Friday! We see you out there doing good work and making school a better place. Get some well-deserved rest and then let's get back to it. 💪

06/15/2026

This Pride Month, NewSchools celebrates the LGBTQ+ community and the belief that every student deserves to feel safe, seen, and supported in their learning environment.

Students thrive when they belong. To every educator and school leader building that kind of environment: thank you.

06/14/2026

Want to explore how AI can strengthen teaching instead of replacing it?

NewSchools is co-sponsoring a convening at UC Berkeley hosted by Travis Bristol and colleagues at UC Berkeley CREEO alongside venture leaders at The Urban Assembly: AI as an Equity Lever for Teaching Quality and Student Growth. Join us on July 8. Registration is free.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfWnGZHKbsqSJWgyC_0Wk_HJRmPUkVBETlMxPt_N4YNnsWmUw/viewform?usp=dialog

Not enough of the conversations about AI have centered & ! So, here's our response AI as an Equity Lever for Teaching Quality and Student Growth Hosted by the UC Berkeley CREEO in partnership with The Urban Assembly, Inc. Wednesday, July 8, 2026 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. MLK Jr Buil...

06/13/2026

Nandi Edouard spent 18 months engaging more than 1,000 Metro Atlanta residents before opening a single classroom. This is the school her community asked for.

In their first year, students at The Simple Vue Academy grew 20 to 30% in math and reading. They also ran a student marketplace where Edouard paid out every dollar they earned. "I gave them cold, hard cash in their hands for what they did."

The school is Douglas County's first entrepreneurship-focused charter middle school and a NewSchools venture.

Nandi Edouard founded The Simple Vue Academy to give Black and brown students a real path to economic mobility through entrepreneurship and financial literacy

06/13/2026

Last week, NewSchools had the honor of presenting Teacher of Excellence Award to Judy Cappuccio — a former engineer, former lawyer, and now the brilliant leader of the STEM team at a UA school for young women.

Congratulations, Judy. And thank you to Urban Assembly for letting us be part of this moment.

06/11/2026

Graduation season is almost over, and students everywhere are earning credentials and proving what's possible. Some schools are celebrating their very first graduating class.

To every student, school, teacher, team, and founder who put in the work: this milestone belongs to you.

Comment to share your graduation moments and milestones with us!

06/11/2026

Be your boldest self. Your brightest self. The version of you that breaks the mold, shatters expectations, sings, dances, laughs out loud, and refuses to leave any part of yourself at the door.

- Frances Messano

06/10/2026

Two views are dominating how schools are thinking about AI right now.

The first: "Anything AI can do faster than a human, it should." Move fast, scale everywhere, let efficiency lead. The second: slow it down, ban it, protect kids from it.

Both are missing what matters most.

Kim Smith introduces us to human flourishing. The question isn't speed or safety. It's whether we're using AI intentionally to help young people build agency, purpose, and confidence.

Now is the time to get this right: while the models are still being built, the norms are still being set, and educators still have the power to shape what this looks like in classrooms.

This worldview doesn't happen by default. It has to be chosen.

Watch Kim's full session:

What if human flourishing — not test scores — were the north star f...

06/08/2026

Woo! We're excited to welcome Destiny Allen to NewSchools as our new Grantmaking Operations Manager.

Growing up in Flint, Michigan shaped Destiny's belief that the most effective solutions are built with and by the communities they serve. We believe that too.

She's spent her career putting that into practice, most recently at TRAILS, where she led a statewide equity initiative to expand mental health access for students in under-resourced Michigan communities.

At NewSchools, she'll be supporting our ventures through every stage of our grant-making cycle.

When she's not working, Destiny's exploring Detroit's restaurant scene, walking her dog Luna along the riverfront, or tackling an interior design project.

Help us give her a warm welcome! Detroit friends, drop your best restaurant recs. Not from Detroit? How about your favorite spot to walk your pup? 🦮