National

The Schott Foundation for Public Education in partnership with Native Americans in Philanthropy, with support from Nike N7, recently released a set of recommendations for helping Native youth live healthy lives. These recommendations came directly from Native American leaders who hold expertise across health, physical fitness, education and youth development sectors. The report, Original Instructions, outlines both challenges and opportunities to philanthropy. It’s a first step towards using our resources to recognize and learn from the resilient Native youth.

In many ways 2017 seemed like a never-ending stream of bad news and attacks on public education. However, advocates kept up the good fight and the movement for education justice saw growth and increased capacity. Thanks to our grantee partners and allies working tirelessly in communities across the country, we’d like to share some good news! In no particular order, here are the top 10 policy wins our grantee partners helped secure. These victories give us hope for 2018 and reinforce the idea that positive change in public education starts at the grassroots.

Schott is excited to highlight four of our vibrant community partners on this year’s Giving Tuesday, an annual event that spotlights nonprofit organizations working to make a difference in their communities. Our partners are proof that when communities come together and organize, they can achieve anything—no matter where they are. 

Your generous donation will support Schott’s ability to provide funding to these dynamic grassroots organizations on the front lines of the fight for education justice, as well as the network-building, policy advocacy and communications resources they need to lead the movement for social change. 100 percent of all donations will go to these four partners.

The Schott Foundation's chief operating officer, Heidi Brooks, was recently profiled in Harvard Business School's alumni magazine, chronicling her work not just at Schott but across her entire globe-spanning career:

A born adventurer with a passion for social justice, Heidi Brooks (MBA 2003) uses her business savvy to effect social change.

Since 2014 Brooks has served as chief operating officer of the Schott Foundation for Public Education, a nonprofit organization focused on strengthening public education through grants and advocacy. The organization seeks to end the school-to-prison pipeline through disciplinary reform and ensure that schools with high needs receive the necessary resources and funding to achieve their goals.

A groundbreaking new report released yesterday details the barriers facing Native youth in urban public schools and highlights inspiring solutions already being implemented in communities across the country. Our latest webinar covers the Native Urban Indian Family Coalition's Resurgence: Restructuring Urban American Indian Education to understand how to scale up these promising alternatives.

Featuring Janeen Comenote, Executive Director of the National Urban Indian Family Coalition (NUIFC) and Dr. Joe Hobot, President and CEO of the American Indian OIC, this webinar is a useful introduction for those new to issues affecting Native youth, and also provided new data and tools for experienced activists and advocates.

Dr. John H. Jackson, President and CEO of the Schott Foundation, was selected by EBONY Magazine as one of 100 inspiring African American leaders.

Ebony will honor Dr. Jackson as a Community Crusader for his work as a strategic leader in philanthropy and a staunch advocate for public school students. Dr. Jackson will join a star-studded cast of honorees on December 1st in Los Angeles, CA including Oprah Winfrey, Kendrick Lamar, Dwayne "Rock" Johnson, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Hart, Viola Davis, Chance the Rapper, Magic and Cookie Johnson, Angela Rye and many more.

The struggles for racial justice and educational justice have been interlinked from the beginning of our nation’s history. It was under Black leadership during Reconstruction that the South saw the first state-funded public schools. The long, arduous work to win and maintain school integration was a keystone struggle during the Civil Rights movement. And today, the most powerful and energetic movements for education justice — fighting for fair funding, strong neighborhood public schools, and restorative justice — are those that take an intersectional approach to organizing.