Unlocking Student Potential: CZI Looks Back on 8 Years

A new report highlights ways that CZI, over the past eight years, has worked with partners to support an education system that unlocks the full potential of every student, no matter who they are or where they live.

CZI has engaged educators and students to co-build research-based tools that make it easier for teachers to support overall student success. We’ve also made grants to partner organizations working to help teachers and school leaders across the country reimagine education. The report shares meaningful impacts of our tools and CZI’s partners, and valuable lessons learned. Both of which inform our next steps for equipping teachers, students and caregivers with tech tools that make it easier for them to access high-quality research and content.

Through CZI’s unique approach combining technology building with grantmaking, we’ve built tools that have reached more than 250,000 students in 46 states and Washington, D.C. Summit Learning and Along reflect our approach of starting with what learning science tells us about how kids learn best, and working with teachers at every stage of development — including product design, piloting, and ongoing feedback from users. We also engage and incorporate input from youth — as well as learning experts at organizations that offer diverse perspectives on education — to ensure our tools can help educators across the country enhance learning and strengthen bonds between teachers and students.

Over the last eight years, we’ve also made more than 1,000 grants to over 420 organizations. The organizations included in the report represent select grants that spotlight exciting progress toward an equitable whole child approach to education that gives every student exactly what they need to succeed inside the classroom and beyond. Our grantees have developed tools and resources that are now reaching more than 5 million students. Read the report to learn more about the impact made by CZI partners to:

• Elevate underutilized high-quality research and resources for educators to use in their classrooms.
• Shift teaching standards and measures of success to center local priorities.
• Co-design with educators, students and communities for impactful new approaches to learning.
• Invest in educators by recruiting high-quality teachers, supporting their well-being, and investing in their development.
• Leverage technology to make it easier for educators and caregivers to support whole child outcomes.

Despite important progress made by our tools and partners, many research-backed resources and tools still aren’t reaching students and teachers. CZI continues to partner with educators and researchers to build tech-enabled tools that support the adoption of underutilized high-quality research and content — including projects CZI has supported over the past eight years. Our work will be driven by the challenges educators face in the classroom and co-built with teachers and students.

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About the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative was founded in 2015 to help solve some of society’s toughest challenges — from eradicating disease and improving education, to addressing the needs of our communities. Through collaboration, providing resources and building technology, our mission is to help build a more inclusive, just and healthy future for everyone. For more information, please visit chanzuckerberg.com.