New Classrooms

Building on the success of the Additional Learning Opportunities pilot, The Fund seeded the launch of New Classrooms in two district schools in 2012.  A third school joined during 2013. New Classrooms is a nationally recognized technology-enabled math program in sixth through eighth grades. New Classrooms uses an innovative approach to math education, in which students receive customized instruction each day from a combination of individual tutoring, small-group work, computer use and traditional lessons with a teacher. Student progress is tracked each day, and each individually-tailored lesson plan is adjusted accordingly. The investment in New Classrooms empowers teachers to do their work more productively, and it provides them with the support, tools and data to extend their reach while maximizing their impact.

Impact

• Provided 600 students in three schools access to personalized middle school math curriculum from a nationally recognized model.
• New Classrooms continues at one Chicago Public Schools elementary school today, with promising results.
• The Fund’s experience with New Classrooms helped shape our Fund 4 strategy, which includes a commitment to educator-led technology innovation in schools.