In the last five years, major philanthropic foundations have spent hundreds of millions of dollars to support personalized and blended learning. The Next Generation Learning Challenges (NGLC), for example, have allocated more than $25 million across seven regional funds in Washington, D.C.; New Orleans; Chicago; Oakland; Colorado; Massachusetts; and a six-state consortium in New England that includes Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Massachusetts. The hope is that each region will launch between three and six “proof point” schools demonstrating “next-generation” learning—and eventually create a critical mass of forward-thinking schools.

So, has the funding worked? It’s difficult to assess, but the NGLC funds do seem to have had an impact on the national profile of personalized learning. To learn more about regional personalized learning funds, check out “Kickstarters for Personalized Learning” by Julie Landry Petersen.

—Education Next