Our Approach
We support leaders who strive to create inclusive, equitable and quality
education opportunities for all young people around the world.
We invest in leaders in learning
Karim Abouelnaga
CEO + Founder, Practice Makes Perfect
Bio
Practice Makes Perfect (PMP) is full-service summer school operator that uses a “near-peer” learning model to drive academic outcomes for thousands of K-12 children.
THE FELLOW
After experiencing the struggle to succeed in the New York City public school system, Karim was lucky enough to receive over a quarter million dollars in scholarships to make his college education possible. He founded PMP at age 18. At 23, he was named to Forbes’ 30 under 30 list in Education, and at 24 was named to Magic Johnson’s 32 under 32 list. In 2016, he was ranked in the top 3 most powerful young entrepreneurs under 25 in the world. Karim’s TED Talk was named one of the 9 Most Inspiring Talks of 2017 and his Forbes day-in-the-life feature is Forbes’ second most viewed of all time, collectively garnering over 4 million views.
THE SOCIAL ISSUE
PMP partners with low-income schools to to help narrow the achievement gap. The organization works to eliminate summer learning loss in kids and give them a fair chance at realizing their life ambitions.
Sara Potler LaHayne
Founder + CEO, Move This World
Bio
Move This World’s mission is clear: to create school communities, and ultimately a world, where everyone belongs. As students cultivate empathy, build resilience, and discover new ways to manage their emotions, they create a more supportive learning environment that will contribute to their future academic success, career fulfillment, and lifelong happiness.
THE FELLOW
In 2007, traveled to Bogota, Columbia as a Fulbright Scholar. Concepts like empathy and conflict resolution were being taught from textbooks without a process for practical application. They were simply words on a page, and students weren’t engaged. Sara began connecting the dots of her life experience and education to imagine a program that would teach students emotional skills for lifelong impact. As a dancer, Sara understood the authenticity of conveying emotion through creative expression. Based on her experience in the classroom, she knew that children express themselves more authentically through movement and learn more comprehensively through physical experience.
THE SOCIAL ISSUE
The Move This World curriculum employs movement and creative expression to comprehensively teach the five core competencies of social emotional learning as defined by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). They have created a platform for embracing different types of learning, but more importantly, acknowledging that we all learn differently. Move This World tackles education accessibility around the globe while encompassing the emotional component of learning that is lacking in many typical school systems.
Tonee Ndungu
Founder + CEO, Kytabu
Bio
Kytabu gives teachers and students access to required textbooks and learning resources for the Kenyan education system through a digital platform on a mobile app.
THE FELLOW
Growing up in Kenya and going through the public education system was a challenge for Tonee’s family on two fronts. First, it was very expensive, even for a middle class family in the capital city Nairobi. Second, he was a dyslexic student in a system that had no structures for students that did not learn at the same pace as the rest of the class. 15 years after Tonee’s less than desirable high school experiences, Kytabu is a response to the cost and structure of information dissemination to students in Kenya.
THE SOCIAL ISSUE
Kytabu is making education accessible while conserving the environment. Textbooks throughout Kenya are extremely expensive from Class 1 to College. They take up the bulk of expenses not counting school fees which parents have to pay and other expenses. By using a digital platform, parents and teachers can save money on books, and students can learn at their own pace.