A Think Twice Review of:

Reimagining Learning: A Big Bet on the Future of American Education

Think Twice - Mar 07, 2017

Publisher/Think Tank - NewSchools Venture Fund

Author(s) - Stacey Childress and Meghan Amrofell

A recent report from the NewSchools Venture Fund offered a thought experiment on how philanthropists can help accelerate efforts to reimagine school. It suggested that philanthropic investment should make a “big bet” on innovative models. It called for a total investment of $4 billion over 10 years through three key areas: (1) creating new schools and redesigning existing ones; (2) supporting targeted technology innovation; and (3) launching a campaign to foster understanding and demand for innovative education models.

Reviewer(s) - Jeffrey W. Snyder, Cleveland State University

An academic review finds the report’s usefulness to policy and practice is limited. Although the report presents valuable insight into the promises of philanthropy, The review finds that the report overpromises. The reviewer says, “Unfortunately, the report fails to provide a meaningful examination of research or a thorough basis for its recommendations.”