We created the Stupski Foundation because we believe that education is a significant factor in transforming the lives of children in our nation’s large public school districts, many of whom are deprived of the opportunity to transcend the barriers of poverty and racial inequity because they lack access to quality education.

Through our work, and the work of others, we came to understand the profound influence that superintendents and their cabinets have on their districts as holistic systems. The best teaching and learning only take place in districts that commit to student success and coordinated practice in every department. This job falls directly on the superintendent and the executive team. We believe in the many committed individuals who are currently working hard to accomplish this. We want to provide opportunities for them to come together to learn, solve problems and build networks with each other and with experts from other sectors so that their collective insights result in greater gains for education.

In 2001, we launched the District Alliance Program to provide onsite management assistance, grants, leadership development and networking programs for leaders of districts around the country. Through the District Alliance Program, we observed and experienced the many forces that both accelerate and impede progress. This helped us understand that an integrated, system-wide approach is critical to transforming districts in their entirety so that all children can achieve at high levels.

We recently completed an assessment of our past programs that involved a great deal of research and reflection as well as consultation with well over 100 leaders from education and other sectors. Our goal was to understand how our foundation can be most helpful to leaders charged with delivering a world-class education for all students. As a result, we have altered our approach and the ways in which we work to support district leaders to significantly accelerate student achievement. This intent is the core of a new strategic direction for the foundation.

While the programmatic contours of this strategy are emerging, we continue to be an organization committed to supporting district leaders in their efforts to transform public education in this country.

We are currently developing new programs to work in collaborative, cross-sector partnerships on the greatest challenges district leaders face in accelerating student achievement. We believe insights gained through these engagements will build upon the body of practical knowledge in the field, and generate new tools and strategies to enable high academic attainment for all students. We will be eager to share our progress with you, and we invite you to sign up to receive the foundation’s news updates.