In the fall of 2009, CityBridge Foundation, in partnership with The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region, the Banyan Tree Foundation, and the DC Public Education Fund, launched the first year of the DC Public Education Learning Series, inviting members of the philanthropic community to join their colleagues for two “semesters” of school visits, classroom observations and panel discussions.  The goal of these tours was to provide participants with a solid grasp of issues surrounding DC public education and to highlight best practices occurring in DC. 

Through the course of each semester, more than 40 foundation officers and individual philanthropists visited eight schools in the city, two of which were charter schools.  The key objective of the tours was to increase participants’ understanding of what constitutes an “effective school.”  Each tour featured a specific theme (i.e. early childhood education, school turnaround, human capital) and culminated with a panel discussion during which participants were able to ask questions and discuss specific topics related to the theme  

In 2010, our host committee expanded.  Washington Grantmakers joined The Banyan Tree Foundation, CityBridge Foundation, and the DC Public Education Fund and, collectively, the group launched the second year of learning tours, with additional financial support from The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region, Elizabeth Harrison Hadley, and The Flamboyan Foundation.  This learning series probed more deeply into citywide education reform efforts, building on the 2009-2010 tours and adding newcomers to our group.  Based on input from 2009-2010 tour evaluations, the 2010-2011 series was a combination of school tours and “deep dive” discussions.  Four mornings were spent in DCPS schools and DC public charter schools, exploring investment opportunities that were based on proven best practices for increasing student achievement.  Each tour culminated with a panel discussion which provided deeper content on the theme of the day.  Transportation and lunch were included, with “on board” briefings provided en route to the schools.  Five “deep dive” afternoon discussions were held with experts in education and funders who have supported specific areas of education reform.  Over coffee, tea and refreshments, the participants enjoyed frank conversation and networking opportunities in a smaller, more focused forum. 

For more information on DC Public Education Learning Series, please read our overview or contact Anna Williamson.