Improving Public Education

2006, 90 pages, Grantmakers for Education, 720 S.W. Washington St., Suite 605, Portland, OR 97205, 503-595-2100, www.edfunders.org

Download pdf: www.educationdonor.org

Created by Grantmakers for Education, The Association of Small Foundations, and Social Venture Partners, this toolkit con-tains four separate reports for donors new to education funding. The first report offers a series of questions regarding educa-tion philanthropy to both prompt funder thinking and focus potential donors' interests in the field. It also provides examples of recent high-impact projects that were particularly successful.

The second document in the tool-kit is A Primer on the U.S. Public Education System, and provides a definitive overview of the history and current state of the public education system. It employs current data to assess how well the public education system is doing, what the teaching force is like, the ways that schools are funded, and current policy affecting them. It also includes a list of the areas where public education needs the most help.

The third part is adapted from Grantmakers for Education's Effective Education Roadmap, and provides potential donors with principles of effective education philanthropy designed to help them be effective with their funding.

The final part of the toolkit is a list of resources for donors. It includes organizations in the field, projects in specific areas of the country, and topic-related websites and articles. The toolkit is a valuable resource for donors and others interested in funding public education in the U.S.