Our Approach

Our Work

• Child Welfare / Permanence
• Community Change
• Economic Security
• Education
• Health
• Juvenile Justice
• Special Interest Areas

Casey Places

The Casey Foundation's Investment in Education

Our vision: All young people—especially those in tough neighborhoods—will graduate from school with the knowledge and skills they need for adult success.

Families living in tough urban neighborhoods depend on schools to equip their children with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in the worlds of work, family, and citizenship. But research shows that many urban young people—particularly those of color—aren’t being well served by their schools. Three major gaps separate young people of color in tough neighborhoods from other students: an achievement gap, a school graduation gap, and a teacher quality gap.

The Casey Foundation’s educational investments aim to demonstrate that these kinds of results, while common, are not inevitable. Urban schools can and do work. Some options are charters and small public schools that allow teachers, parents, and communities to work together, offer appropriate incentives, and hold each other accountable for results.

Our education investments have two primary aims:

1. To support initiatives that give more low-income parents the opportunity to send their children to high quality schools that produce strong results, and,
2. To help families get needed services and support through stronger connections between schools and communities.

Casey Funding in Action 

• Since 1999, Casey has invested nearly $1.8 million in community-based efforts to create new schools or improve existing ones. These efforts have touched 28 schools in 14 communities including Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Washington, D.C., Denver, Des Moines, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, New York, Philadelphia, Providence, San Diego, and Seattle. At least 15 of these schools have produced favorable results so far; four have replicated their work in additional communities; several have won recognition; and all have raised public and private dollars to support their work.
• We support innovative alliances that work with school districts and community organizations to provide support for school reforms and the creation of autonomous schools, inculding the Bay Area Coalition for Equitable Schools in Oakland, California. We also support organizations involved in the design, documentation, and evaluation of a uniquely important voucher experiment in Washington, D.C.
• We support organizations that focus on improved outcomes for children of color, such as the National Urban League’s Campaign for African American Achievement and the National Council of La Raza.
• We invest in efforts like the Baltimore Education Network and the New York City Beacons to demonstrate how families benefit when they are more informed and active in schools and connected to community organizations.

At Casey, we believe that children do well when their families do well, and families do better when they live in supportive neighborhoods. Strong schools and school systems as well as networks of services and supports are an integral part of strong neighborhoods. The Foundation’s investment strategy for its education portfolio is based on its commitment to improve results for young people, families, and the communities where they live.

Learn More

• Find resources on education in the Casey Foundation Knowledge Center.