NewSchools Venture Fund

05/07/2026

“Let’s stop talking about it and be about it. Together.”
That’s the charge that opened 2026 this morning.

Student Azeemah Sadiq made it personal:
“Build with us, not for us. Sincerely, Today’s Students.”

Five leaders. One question: What should we build next?

Kim Smith: human flourishing as our North Star.
Lakisha Young: does your solution reach the home?
Ben Kornell: the “ed” comes first.
Oliver Sicat: are we still an innovation sector, or have we become a replication system?

And with that, Summit is under way.

05/06/2026

When the right people get in a room together, something shifts. Ideas get sharper, connections get made, and the work gets real.

05/06/2026

05/06/2026

What if fundraising was just collaboration made official?

Naimah Bilal of put forth this challenge at . We think she’s onto something.

05/06/2026

Old friends. New ideas. The “let’s connect after”. The hallway conversations. The sparkle of a new collab.

Our ventures are in community again at . We’re so excited you’re here.

05/06/2026

Conferences are a lot — the sessions, the people, the feelings, the learning. So we made you a place to breathe. The Wellness Room is ready for you at . Take care of yourself.

📍 Tower 3, 4th Floor · Hilton SF Union Square

04/17/2026

Oh, what’s that? NewSchools has a new annual report out?

Yes, and it’s fully digital!

Our 2025 Annual Report, Courage to Lead, captures what our community made possible in 2025 and the lessons we’re carrying into this year.

In 2025, NewSchools invested $28.7 million in 86 ventures that reached nearly 3 million students and more than half a million educators.

Inside, you’ll find promising school models, new approaches to supporting teachers, and AI-enabled learning solutions designed to expand access to rigorous, personalized support for students.

Read the report: https://www.newschoolsimpact.org/

04/09/2026

School leaders need tools that strengthen instruction, not complicate it.

In reading and math, quality, implementation, and coherence matter. Well-integrated tools can support teaching and learning. Poorly aligned ones can fragment instruction.

Read more:
https://www.newschools.org/blog/quality-over-quantity-building-coherent-ai-for-reading-and-math/

Will AI reinforce existing models of schooling, or will it help us build learning environments that center purpose, relationships, and real-world contributions? This is the question that our inaugural cohort of Think Forward AI Fellows explore in this compendium. Conversations about AI often center....

03/27/2026

Shoutout to our own Dr. Vanessa Monterosa for taking the stage at the National AI Literacy Day Summit today — bringing her expertise as Senior Associate Partner (Learning Solutions) at NewSchools to the conversation on AI’s possibilities, pitfalls, and the students who can’t afford for us to get it wrong.

02/03/2026

We love resources that connect research with what’s actually happening in schools. ✨

Internationals Network just released a new case study that codifies frameworks for supporting teacher practice, leadership, and development — along with the conditions that help students thrive.

Built from real school experiences and years of collaboration with Transcend and NewSchools (alongside CART, Ember, and Washington Latin), this work highlights how teacher-led, interdisciplinary teams can create joyful, sustainable learning environments.

If you’re rethinking how schools support educators and students at the same time, this is a meaningful and timely resource.

📘 Read the full case study here:
https://www.internationalsnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Internationals-Network_Innovative-Staffing-Model_Case-Study-2025-1.pdf