Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates laid out the future of his foundation’s philanthropic work in front of a group of educators in Cleveland Thursday, and part of that is a billion dollar investment in an education experiment.
Over the next five years, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will invest $1.7 billion in K through 12 education in the U.S. Sixty percent of those funds will be dedicated to creating 20-30 school networks across the country where educators can focus on innovative practices. The innovation can be in any area of education, but will largely focus on curriculum development.
“Groups of schools have the flexibility to propose the approaches they want," Gates said. "We think this will lead to more impactful systemic changes that with luck will be attractive enough to be widely adopted.”
Gates said the make-up of the networks could be a group of schools in multiple districts or a district itself, and could also include charter schools, but each network must show a commitment to data driven practices.
The foundation's investment will help study the impact of the new education practices.
Gates was the keynote speaker at the Council of the Great City Schools conference being held in Cleveland this week.
Conference attendees include more than 1,000 urban school district superintendents, school board members and senior administrators.
