Education
What if public schools were equipped to prepare all students to be the innovators and leaders we need for the future?
Public education is the cornerstone of a strong democracy.
It’s one of our most important public goods, preparing young people to thrive and actively participate in civic life. We must make sure schools work well, students feel safe, and learning stays on track. At the same time, we also have the opportunity to re-envision what schools can do for students as the future of work continues to evolve.
By investing in efforts to strengthen and modernize public education, we can improve how students learn today while preparing them for a rapidly changing world.
In partnership with young people, educators, policymakers, researchers, innovators, and other funders, we’re supporting work that reimagines public education.
We focus on three core areas:
Fairness
Ensuring every student has access to what they need to thrive.
Readiness
Designing a system that equips students at every level with the adaptability, skills, knowledge, and curiosity they need to succeed in a world being transformed by AI.
Belonging
Creating learning environments in which student experience and well-being are as essential to learning and growth.
58% of Americans
The value and purpose of public education has been at the center of debates across the country, but we’re seeing parents and community members raising their voice in support of a goal we all share: Our students must be prepared to succeed in the future.
Future-Ready K-12 Education
How can we prepare students for an AI-driven future that’s still taking shape?
Our partner LearnerStudio is leading a national discussion among educators, policymakers, researchers, and innovators on how to update and upgrade our education system for the age of AI. Additionally, our partner the National Equity Project is leading districts in California to drive new high school models, community partnerships, and public and private investments to spur change.
A key piece of this effort is helping more funders and leaders understand that creating a future-ready education system will take more than just adjusting or refining what’s in place now. It will require transforming the entire educational ecosystem.
A future-ready ecosystem includes:
A focus on learning
Defining success based on students’ ability to thrive in careers and as active participants in democracy, not just grades in school.
Fairness by design
Ensuring all students have access to quality learning opportunities.
Science-based practices
Embedding the science of learning and development to develop new ways to engage students.
Flexible pathways
Giving students the power to direct their learning based on their own interests and aspirations.
A broader field of educators
Expanding educator roles to coach and support students inside and beyond the classroom.
A digital architecture to support broad-based learning
Changing the way we think about learning, from age- and school-based instruction to tracking learning experiences in all parts and all stages of life.
Integrated technology
Building AI-powered innovations for educators and students.
Spotlight
Ethan Ashley
CEO and Co-founder, School Board Partners
School Board Partners prepares community members to serve effectively on their local school boards, where they can influence and improve public education for students in their communities. Since 2019, School Board Partners has trained nearly 700 leaders with an impact on 9 million young people across 41 states.
Support from the Raikes Foundation has essentially allowed us to triple our impact over time. We’ve grown from training and developing elected leaders to doing research, offering certificate programs, and incorporating an AI tool that democratizes policymaking for school board members who may not have a background in policy development.
Ethan Ashley
Only 35% of Americans
We know a college degree has a huge impact on economic mobility. One of the most important things we can do is to support students who are in school to complete their degrees and successfully transition to the workforce.
Improving The Student Experience In Higher Ed
How can we create learning experiences that students believe will set them up for success?
We’ve been longtime supporters of the Student Experience Project (SEP) because of its data-driven, student-led approach to improving the experience students have in college. A collaborative of university leaders, researchers, and national education organizations, the SEP develops research-based strategies to create learning environments in which students feel they belong and believe they can succeed.
The SEP approach includes:
Faculty collaboration
data on how students experience their courses. They share insights into what the data means and develop ways to apply it to improve student experience.
Student perspectives
Student feedback comes in real time instead of traditional end-of-course evaluations. They can offer candid responses and raise concerns anonymously, and faculty get direct insight into what they can do to make a difference.
Knowledge sharing
The SEP creates tools and best practices that can scale. These then become valuable resources for faculty across colleges and universities.
Our focus in 2026 and beyond
- Advancing a shared vision for a fair and future-ready education system in the Age of AI
- Scaling resources and building relationships to support implementation of innovations in public education design
- Sharing information and building support at state and federal levels for fair and future-ready education
