Public Education
Education has long been a priority for the Community Foundation and our donors through the Community Partnership Fund.
In 2004, the Community Foundation made a $200,000 grant to Memphis City Schools to launch a new tutoring program, Our Children Our Future. Tutors received training so that their volunteer efforts would fit more closely with classroom instruction to help students perform better on standardized tests. That program continues today and is funded by the school system.
Other grants from the Community Partnership Fund have supported Teach for America, the New Teacher Project, and New Leaders (formerly New Leaders for New Schools). The most recent grant was $250,000 for the Teacher Effectiveness Initiative of Memphis City Schools as part of the local matching funds for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant. One component of the initiative is the "I teach. I am" campaign to recognize outstanding teachers and to challenge all teachers to continually improve.
As individuals and organizations in our community embrace the Teacher Effectiveness Initiative and other education reforms, we support the efforts of Elliot Perry to applaud local “education champions” and to recruit others who want to help give our children the best education possible. You can tutor, mentor, make a contribution, or share the good news with others.