Topic: Education

Introducing Two New Members of the Education Team

I am thrilled to announce two new team members joining the Heising-Simons Foundation’s Education program! Continue Reading

Announcing Our New Education Strategy

For more than 10 years, the Heising-Simons Foundation has made grants that reflect our deep care for, and interest in, young children and their education. It’s a child’s early years of life that are especially formative and we, among many other champions of early childhood education, recognize that this is the time to lay the foundation for the future. Continue Reading

2018 Center for the Study of Child Care Employment Workforce Index Released

A well-prepared, well-compensated, and supported workforce is an essential component of high-quality early childhood education. For this reason, the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment (CSCCE) recently released the 2018 Early Childhood Workforce Index (ECWI), a tool to understand: (a) what policies address workforce preparation, compensation, and support; and (b) how the status of these policies changes over time. Continue Reading

New Grant to DREME Network to Advance Early Childhood Math Education

The Heising-Simons Foundation’s Education program is pleased to announce a $5.75 million grant to Development and Research in Early Math Education, also known as the DREME Network. This brings the Foundation’s total investment in the DREME Network to more than $14 million since its launch in 2014. Continue Reading

Promoting Family Math to Help Close the Achievement Gap

Earlier this week, education news site The 74 featured an opinion piece co-authored by Kimberly Brenneman, program officer for the Foundation’s Education program. The piece outlines the importance and potential upside of empowering families and communities to fulfill their critical role in the math education of our youngest learners. Continue Reading

2017 “State of Preschool” Report Released

Which states invest best in their young children, and which pre-K programs have proven most beneficial to help children close the gap with their more advantaged peers? That’s the question the National Institute for Early Education Research’s (NIEER) State of Preschool yearbook aims to answer each year. Continue Reading

Strengthening Math Skills of Children from Low-Income Backgrounds

High-quality math instruction aligned across pre-K and kindergarten can provide a significant boost to children from low-income families, and close the achievement gap with their higher-income peers, according to a new study published by education and social policy research organization MDRC. Continue Reading

Barbara Chow Co-Authors Article About Funder Collaborations

Why do some funder collaborations flourish, and others flounder? That’s the key question behind, “Funder Collaborations – Flourish or Flounder?” The article, co-written by Barbara… Continue Reading

Tulsa’s Pre-K Students Show Positive Academic Outcomes Through Middle School

A new report released by Georgetown University shows that students in Tulsa, Oklahoma, who attended a high-quality pre-kindergarten (Pre-K) program displayed positive academic effects that… Continue Reading

An Advocacy Framework for Young Dual-Language Learners in California

Young dual-language learners represent 60 percent of the 0-5 population in California, and most of the state’s English learners can be found in the early elementary grades.To help advance advocacy on behalf of young dual-language learners in California, the Heising-Simons Foundation has helped launch California’s Gold: Capitalizing on California’s Diversity Today, for a Brighter Tomorrow, an advocacy framework and resource website authored by Dr. Marlene Zepeda and written after extensive consultation with the early childhood education field. Continue Reading