2018 Annual Conference

The Equity Journey: Investing in the Whole Learner

 “A central challenge of our time is creating the intellectual, emotional, and social supports that empower students for the difficult task of continually unlearning the old ways, while simultaneously learning new ones. If education succeeds, students will soon be the inventors of a bright future.”

-Christopher Dede, Harvard Graduate School of Education

Over the years, we have taken a journey together as grantmakers in exploring equity in education. Our journey thus far confirmed that learners, birth to career, must be prepared for new challenges in a new world. We also learned that, as education grantmakers, we can prepare ourselves to support learners in myriad ways in order to advance our investments in our nation’s future. Together we take the next step: to explore how to strengthen the whole learner.

At the 2018 Grantmakers for Education annual conference, we will investigate what it takes to foster the whole learner by exploring interventions and support structures to enhance environments within and outside of school, as well as by examining how and why to incorporate social and emotional competencies into the learning domain.

We need nothing less than a coordinated approach to creating healthy, safe and supportive environments that promote positive and versatile outcomes for the whole learner. 

With the latest innovations and data at our fingertips, we will leave the conference better prepared to strengthen philanthropy to expand opportunities for the whole learner.