Grants

Teachers College, Columbia University

Project Title

For project support of participatory budgeting simulations

Date

Dec. 11, 2025

Duration

24 months

Description

School participatory budgeting (PB) engages students in decision-making while building skills in deliberation, leadership, and collaboration. The NYC Department of Education’s Civics for All initiative created a PB program, but participation is voluntary, and many schools lack the staff capacity to join. The Making Democracy Real (MDR) initiative, will address this gap by partnering with six New York City middle schools over two years. Students will collect ideas, develop proposals, deliberate with their peers, and vote on school improvement projects, supported by Civic Fellows and teachers who will co-design and co-implement the program. MDR is expected to reach up to 2,100 students and increase student political efficacy, policy knowledge and overall engagement in school life.

Project Title

For core support of The Hechinger Report

Date

Sep. 12, 2024

Duration

24 months

Description

The Hechinger Report is an independent, nonprofit, and nonpartisan organization based at Teachers College, Columbia University. As anewsroom focused oneducation, its mission is to inform the public about the challenges faced by students and educators in the United States and engage readers in the national debate on education improvement. They provide their work freely to readers, believing that reliable journalism is a public service that should be accessible to all. With Corporation support, they willproduce high-quality journalism that focuses on major education themesthrough in-depth narratives, research and data analysis.

Project Title

For a final grant to the Center for Educational Equity's continued work on civics education and equity

Date

Sep. 14, 2023

Duration

24 months

Description

Readying young people for their civic responsibilities in a democracy has historically been an essential role of U.S. schools; today it is more important than ever. Yet, one of the many harmful effects of ongoing race- and class-based educational inequities is that large numbers of students, particularly students in poverty and students of color, leave high school without the knowledge, skills, experience, and dispositions to engage effectively in political and civic life. Founded in 2005, the Center for Educational Equity (CEE) is a nonprofit policy and research center at Teachers College, Columbia University, that utilizes a rights-based approach to ensure that school systems are preparing young people to participate meaningfully in civic life. Support from the corporation will further CEE efforts to improve the capacity of New York Schools to prepare their students for civic participation and strengthen the national movement for civic education by increasing public understanding of constitutional rights to civics education.

Project Title

For core support of The Hechinger Report

Date

Dec. 14, 2023

Duration

12 months

Description

The Hechinger Report is an independent, nonprofit, and nonpartisan organization based at Teachers College, Columbia University. As a nonprofit newsroom focused on inequality and innovation in education, its mission is to inform the public about the challenges faced by students and educators in the United States and engage readers in the national debate on education improvement. They provide their work freely to readers, believing that reliable journalism is a public service that should be accessible to all. They collaborate with partner news outlets to reach a diverse audience and provide critical information to those who can make a difference.

Project Title

For core support of The Hechinger Report

Date

Dec. 08, 2022

Duration

9 months

Description

The United States educational system, K-16, is amid immense challenges, some related to the ongoing pandemic and others related to declining enrollments and changing attitudes toward public education. To raise awareness of these challenges as well as innovations that address them, we believe one must take readers into classrooms and onto campuses, to explore, explain and analyze, not simply tell. The Hechinger Report, adecade-old nonprofit, award-winning, independent news outlet focused oninnovation and education has been covering the inequities that permeate the U.S. education system, which is projected to be more pronounced over the coming yearsdue to the ongoing impact of the coronavirus pandemic. With continued support from theCorporation,The Hechinger Report will continue to strengthen coverage of inequality, achievement gaps, and solutions- and research-based reporting; bolstering reporting of under-covered areas such as the West and the South.

Project Title

For core support of The Hechinger Report

Date

Mar. 10, 2022

Duration

12 months

Description

Nearly two years havepassed since the start of the pandemic and in the months and years ahead, weanticipate a new sense of urgency about the gaps and solutions in our educationsystem that need to be covered and elevated for the public. With many studentsstill studying remotely from home, there is enormous fear that millions ofchildren have lost crucial time in the arc of their educational development,whether they live in large urban centers such as New York City and Los Angelesor rural areas in the Mississippi Delta and the West. The Hechinger Report, aten-year-old nonprofit, award-winning, independent news outlet focused oninnovation and education has been covering the inequities that permeate the U.S. education system, which is projected to be more pronounced over the coming yearsdue to the ongoing impact of the coronavirus pandemic. With support from theCorporationThe Hechinger Report will strengthen coverage ofinequality, achievement gaps, and solutions- and research-based reporting;bolstering their reporting of under-covered areas such as the West and theSouth; enhancing their engagement to a larger audience; and sustaining theirinvestigative team, diversity initiatives, and in-house fundraising efforts.

Project Title

For core support of The Hechinger Report

Date

Mar. 04, 2021

Duration

12 months

Description

Almost nine months have passed since the start of the pandemic and schools remain shuttered across the country. There is enormous fear that millions of children will be left behind, losing crucial time in the arc of their educational development. The Hechinger Report, a ten-year-old nonprofit, award-winning, independent news outlet focused on innovation and education has been covering the inequities that permeate the U.S. education system, which is projected to be more pronounced over the coming years due to the ongoing impact of the coronavirus pandemic. With support from the CorporationThe Hechinger Report will continue to strengthen its coverage of inequality, achievement gaps, and solutions- and research-based reporting; sustainits investigative team; and bolsterits reporting of under-covered areas such as the West and the South of the country.

Project Title

As a one-time grant for a neurocognitive study on how middle school students process information through print and digital media

Date

Sep. 02, 2021

Duration

20 months

Description

Despite literacy-dependent cultures around the world transitioning away from print media toward digital products, there is a dearth of high-quality scientific research on the differences between print and digital information processing, especially on the neurocognitive level. Behavioral studies on cross-medium reading habits and information retention are often mixed or highly nuanced, making it difficult for educators and policymakers to make informed decisions on school design and pedagogical approaches. With Corporation support, researchers with the Neurocognition of Language Laboratory at Teachers College, Columbia University, will use brain imaging technology to conduct highly controlled, non-invasive experiments analyzing how the brains of middle school students process print and digital texts on a systematic level.

Project Title

For the Center for Educational Equity's continued work on civics education and equity.

Date

Sep. 02, 2021

Duration

18 months

Description

Readying young people for their civic responsibilities in a democracy has historically been an essential role of U.S. schools; today it is more important than ever. Yet, one of the many harmful effects of ongoing race- and class-based educational inequities is that large numbers of students, particularly students in poverty and students of color, leave high school without the knowledge, skills, experience, and dispositions to engage effectively in political and civic life. Founded in 2005, the Center for Educational Equity (CEE) is a nonprofit policy and research center at Teachers College, Columbia University. This project continues CEE’s work to promote systemic change to (1) improve the capacity of all New York schools to prepare their students for civic participation and (2) increase the capacity of New York students and parents to understand and advocate for the fulfillment of students’ right to a meaningful educational opportunity that prepares them for civic participation, as well as college and careers.

Project Title

As a final grant for a project to advance civic education in New York state

Date

Sep. 10, 2020

Duration

12 months

Description

Readying young people for their civic responsibilities in a democracy has historically been an essential role of U.S. schools; today it is more important than ever. Yet, one of the many harmful effects of ongoing race- and class-based educational inequities is that large numbers of students, particularly students in poverty and students of color, leave high school without the knowledge, skills, experience, and dispositions to engage effectively in political and civic life. Founded in 2005, the Center for Educational Equity (CEE) is a nonprofit policy and research center at Teachers College, Columbia University. This project continues CEE’s work to promote systemic change to (1) improve the capacity of all New York schools to prepare their students for civic participation and (2) increase the capacity of New York students and parents to understand and advocate for the fulfillment of students’ right to a meaningful educational opportunity that prepares them for civic participation, as well as college and careers.

Project Title

For the Center for Educational Equity’s work to advance education policy to prepare all students for civic participation, with a focus on work in New York state

Date

Jun. 13, 2019

Duration

12 months

Description

Readying students for their civic responsibilities in a democracy has historically been an essential role of U.S. schools, and, in many states, is included as a core educational right under state constitutions. Yet large numbers of students currently leave high school without the knowledge, skills, experience, and dispositions to be effectively engaged in political and civic life. The Center for Educational Equity (CEE) at Teachers College, Columbia University seeks to help New York State become a model for the nation by (1) improving the capacity of all New York schools to properly prepare their students for civic participation, and (2) increasing the capacity of New York students and parents to understand and advocate for their educational right to civic preparation. This grant includes support for CEE leadership of a new statewide coalition, ‘DemocracyReady NY’, and the state department of education’s recently created ‘New York State Civic Readiness Task Force’.

Project Title

For support of The Hechinger Report in its coverage of postsecondary pathways

Date

Jun. 13, 2019

Duration

18 months

Description

According to 2017 data from the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), about 25 percent of high school seniors are proficient in math while about 37 percent are proficient in reading. While the popular narrative highlights the national problems facing college and career readiness, local communities have identified innovative ways to solve for these problems. But these local stories are infrequently told due to the decline in local news sources. An independent, nonpartisan, newsroom based in Teachers College, Columbia University, The Hechinger Report (Hechinger) is committed to uncovering the solutions found at the intersection of K-12 and post-secondary pathways. The Hechinger Report, uses credible and in-depth evidence to report on the successes and growth areas related to improving pathways from high school to post-secondary. With continued support from the Corporation, Hechinger will conduct investigative reporting into diverse communities, find stories with the potential to shape the national debate, and through partnerships with local and national news outlets, Hechinger will share these stories with the public.

Project Title

For support of The Hechinger Report in its coverage of connections between education and job preparation

Date

Mar. 08, 2018

Duration

15 months

Description

While the American public education system aspires to prepare students to become active participants in a contemporary economy, inequities in the education system seem to be perpetuating divisions among students, often based on their geography and income. In turn, as students are unequally taught skills, or receive a different quality of schooling, they are also unequally prepared for careers that improve their lives and communities. The Hechinger Report (Hechinger), an independent, nonpartisan, newsroom based in Teachers College, Columbia University is committed to uncovering the nuances in the connection between education and career preparation. With support from the Corporation, Hechinger will conduct a deep exploration of critical regions that represent larger trends related to dynamic shifts in American society. Hechinger will illuminate the successes and growth areas, in order to inform educators, policymakers, families, communities, and the public at large on how to ensure that all students are properly prepared, and especially, how stakeholders can best support the next generation growing up with the fewest resources.

Project Title

For the Hechinger Report community engagement and coverage of high school designs and college and career access and success

Date

Sep. 08, 2016

Duration

18 months

Description

The Hechinger Report will employ its brand of balanced, in-depth reporting to examine current efforts toward revamping and reshaping U.S. high schools. With previous support from the Corporation, the Hechinger Report created a body of journalism examining new ideas for high school design covering promising programs, turnaround efforts, and established schools that have shown success in an era of tough new standards. With further Corporation support, the Hechinger Report will continue to examine not only which new ideas, designs, and innovations have the potential to work but also highlight what is already working well and what is not. They will also drill down on the many new ways high schools are attempting to meet students where they are, via personalized, student-centered learning that defies a one-size-fits-all approach and helps meet the needs of vastly different types of learners.

Project Title

For a reporting project with the Hechinger Report on effective school designs

Date

Sep. 11, 2014

Duration

24 months

Project Title

For a reporting project at The Hechinger Institute to cover education and human capital issues

Date

Dec. 02, 2010

Duration

24 months

Project Title

For a conference in the preparation of content-driven literacy for secondary science and social study teachers

Date

Sep. 10, 2009

Duration

16 months

Project Title

Toward an online digital archive of The Open Mind, a long-running television interview broadcast

Date

Jun. 12, 2008

Duration

6 months

Project Title

Toward an online digital archive of The Open Mind, a long-running television interview broadcast

Date

Sep. 28, 2006

Duration

12 months

Project Title

Toward enhancing teacher preparation for adolescent literacy through interdisciplinary learning communities

Date

Jun. 09, 2005

Duration

24 months