Although any intervention that does right by kids is “good” in our book, we use a clear measure for our own time and investment: Does our work advance systems reform, putting in place the building blocks of a transformed educational structure, one that will deliver high-performance for all students? With that frame, we do not generally fund or work on programs that are remedial or which do not support core academic progress of students. We actively seek out proven strategies that can be scaled and used for hundreds or thousands of local children. We believe that poverty is not destiny: Even a city long plagued by economic disadvantage can build a system of schools where all students can learn at high levels.
#2
Teacher Talent Matters Most
The research is unequivocal: No single in-school factor moves student outcomes more than having a great teacher in front of every student. This finding influences every investment CityBridge makes. To achieve a world-class workforce of effective teachers, DC will need to invest in building, supporting and retaining talent in our teacher workforce. Every part of the continuum matters, from recruiting and developing talent, to celebrating, compensating and retaining our star teachers. CityBridge is interested in actively supporting work all along this continuum.
#3
Schools Can Mitigate the Effects of Poverty on Learning
We do not view this work through a simplistic frame: Even superstar teachers face enormous challenges when they work in high-poverty schools. But some high-poverty schools—innovators in school design—are succeeding by rethinking how high-poverty schools are organized and how social services are delivered. CityBridge invests in effective anti-poverty supports that can be embedded in schools alongside effective teachers, leading to results that can be both transformative and sustainable.
#4
Choice and Competition Support Excellence
Reform in DC started ten years ago, with the launch of the charter movement and the creation of a diverse system of schools. Our charter school market has been the proving ground for some of the highest-performing schools in the country and has created additional city-wide pressure to provide excellence for all students in all types of schools. CityBridge supports choice and competition in the charter and traditional public school arenas. We endorse the creation of new options (Catalyst Schools or partnership schools, for example) within the traditional DCPS system, the expansion of excellent schools (DCPS and charter), and the concomitant hard decisions leaders must take to close schools that have consistently under-performed.
#5
School Turnaround Is the Next (Hard) Chapter
Although all districts must right-size their school portfolios, DC cannot “close” its way to excellence. Instead, many underperforming schools require rapid intervention and improvement. Successful whole-school turnaround includes radical decisions about personnel, added freedom to serve students, and intensive, aligned supports. There are few successful practitioners in this field; CityBridge actively seeks to support enterprises able to be whole-school turnaround partnership work, to a very high standard, in Washington.
#6
Read by Grade Three
The most crucial milestone in a child’s educational career is being able to read capably by Grade 3. Children who miss this milestone have (statistically) little chance of academic success. CityBridge has supported early childhood interventions that build strong reading skills, and we remain interested in well-designed, content-rich literacy curricula and interventions that support universal early literacy. Our work in this area is likely to be collaborative, in concert with other funders whose core work is curricular or focused on early childhood education.
#7
Strong Leaders Drive Change
Across two decades of philanthropy in varied content fields, we have consistently found that strong leaders are essential for organizations to drive significant social change. Our experience has taught us that the quality of leadership must be a criterion for any significant CityBridge partnership: We invest in ideas and practices and in the people who can implement them.
#8
Stewardship Is the Key to Sustainability
Educational progress is fragile: Without the active support and stewardship of civic leaders, parents and educators, gains for students will not last. We seek to build close, collaborative relationships with other funders, organizations and individuals that are invested, for the long-term, in the city’s progress. We believe stakeholders need to understand systems reform, see the schools where that work is taking place, and meet the people driving change. We welcome every opportunity to partner with political and education leaders to accelerate sustainable progress toward the creation of a great system of schools.