Philanthropy and Schools: An Insider's View

Administrators cheer at an assembly in Charlotte, N.C., on Sept. 20 upon hearing that the Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools won the Broad Prize for the district's work on student achievement.

—Jeff Wilhelm/Charlotte Observer-File

By Heather Zavadsky

The logic of partnering with business, higher education, legislators, and community organizations to create pivotal support and pressure points for school improvement is well understood. However, the role of philanthropy in such partnerships is less clear and sometimes misunderstood and, I believe, undervalued.

Because foundations have dedicated unprecedented amounts of money to education over the past eight-plus years, some negative assumptions have grown up around their work, and critics have argued that foundations are funding politically driven self-interest projects in education.

But consider this: In times when public education is scarce on funding, districts and schools greatly benefit from the ability of philanthropy to support field-tested research on innovative...