MetLife award $3.8 M for student achievement grants

[From Philanthropy News Digest] The MetLife Foundation has announced grants totaling $3.8 million to nonprofit organizations working to encourage collaborative teaching and school leadership as a strategy for boosting student achievement.

Grant recipients include the Center for Teaching Quality in Hillsborough, North Carolina, which will use the funds to leverage its virtual network of teachers to share and implement a vision for twenty-first century teaching and learning; the Developmental Studies Center in Oakland, California, which will partner with school districts to provide teachers with more efficient ways to strengthen teaching and learning for all students; and the New York City-based New Leaders for New Schools, which will use the funds to expand its EPIC Knowledge system and share effective leadership strategies in schools serving disadvantaged students. In addition, the foundation awarded grants to the Asia Society's Partnership for Global Learning initiative, Washington, D.C.-based College Summit, Dallas-based Learning Forward (formerly the National Staff Development Council), and the School Leaders Network in Hinsdale, Massachusetts.

Earlier this year, the MetLife Foundation released the results of a survey which found that a majority of teachers (67 percent) and principals (78 percent) strongly agree that greater collaboration among teachers and school leaders would have a major impact on improving student achievement. "Survey research is not just about asking, but also about listening," said MetLife Foundation president and CEO Dennis White. "We are pleased to respond by supporting a group of effective national organizations that encourage collaboration to increase success in classrooms and schools nationwide."

“MetLife Foundation Supports Collaborative Leadership in Education With $3.8 Million in Grants.” MetLife Foundation Press Release 11/16/10.