Rocketship Education, a network of K-5 hybrid charter schools in California, has received over $3 million in philanthropic funding so far this year, according to a press release.
The investments will go toward researching and expanding the software behind the schools’ Learning Labs, where students spend time each day on computers and in tutor-led small groups to master reading and math skills.
The school received funding from many Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and venture capitalists such as Reed Hastings, the chief executive officer of Netflix; Sheryl Sandberg, the chief operating officer of Facebook; Dave Goldberg, the chief executive officer of SurveyMonkey; and Jonathan Chadwick, the chief financial officer of Skype.
“It’s deeply encouraging to see the recognition of our Rocketeer’s results and the Rocketship Hybrid School Model,” says Rocketship’s co-founder and chief executive officer John Danner. “We look forward to using these investments to further strengthen the systems that support Learning Lab, ultimately allowing us to more precisely determine a student’s needs and provide them with exactly the right lesson at the right time.”
Rocketship Education currently runs three public charter schools in San Jose, Calif., serving about 1,300 students.