As the year winds down, I’m finding myself in a reflective mood. With rising inequality and the lingering effects of the pandemic, the challenges facing public school communities this year felt unparalleled. Yet despite this, TNTP stands strong with our most impactful year to date, positively improving the educational experiences of millions of students.
With partnerships extending across 6,000 districts in 39 states, we’re actively sowing the seeds for every young person to access pathways to academic, economic, and social mobility.
This fiscal year alone, our collective efforts laid a foundation for lasting academic success:
- 2 million more students had access to grade-level appropriate assignments
- 2.9 million more students experienced strong instruction
- 3 million more students had educators with high expectations for their performance
Behind each of these numbers are countless stories of heroic and hard-working educators, system leaders, families, and communities who share our determination to upend the predictive influences of poverty and race on the life outcomes of young people. We celebrate each of our 6,000 partners and the progress we’re driving together, including:
- Leading a movement to push for an educator workforce that reflects the racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity of our country through the One Million Teachers of Color Campaign and holding our first-ever Congressional briefing to help drive local, state, and national change.
- Introducing the Workforce Design Framework, a forward-thinking perspective on how to support, develop, and retain educators, which was exemplified by success stories like Collegiate Academies in Louisiana.
- Closing the science of reading implementation gap and helping educators deliver evidence-based literacy instruction, contributing to historic third-grade reading gains in Tennessee.
- Supporting districts in bringing high-quality instructional materials to life, fostering equity and coherence in instruction, as seen at Passaic Public Schools in New Jersey.
Ultimately, we know that providing young people with far more pathways toward economic and social mobility requires more than just academics. That’s why we’re broadening our cross-sector work to rethink interconnected systems and improve young people’s lives beyond the four walls of the classroom. We’ve set exciting new levers for change in motion:
- In Texas, we helped design and launch the Effective Advising Framework, guiding students in planning for post-secondary success, including career exploration and financial literacy.
- We facilitated the establishment of EmpowerED, a rapidly growing local coalition of 40 diverse organizations committed to the welfare of Birmingham students and families, already securing new resources to redesign learning experiences.
- Through the ATL Leadership Network, we developed school leadership teams in Atlanta Public Schools and DeKalb County, involving community members and families in creating a shared vision for student success.
These bright spots represent just the beginning of what’s possible as we continue to collaborate with students, families, educators, community leaders, and many others to disrupt systemic inequities keeping young people from opportunity.
In celebrating our work together, Amanda Gorman’s words echo in my mind: “If we merge mercy with might, and might with right, then love becomes our legacy and change our children’s birthright.”
As we prepare for another year of collective impact, I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude for our partnership. Let us continue to embrace the audacity of our shared goals and work towards a future where education truly becomes the great equalizer.
