Donations improve how kids learn amid ongoing COVID concerns

By ALEX DANIELS of The Chronicle of Philanthropy
Chronicle of Philanthropy

Grantmakers are increasing spending on education, hoping to turn the pandemic into an opportunity to fine tune the use of educational technology, develop better lesson plans, and build connections with families and after-school programs that could help reduce students’ mental-health challenges due to COVID. They want to help school districts change the way people teach, while reducing learning gaps. The support could help reduce teacher burnout and get students on solid footing at grade level without resorting to remedial instruction. Underlying the soaring sums going into education grant making: Federal education statistics show that those hurt the most already have been students of color, those with disabilities, and those whose native language isn’t English.