Gray Matters Capital Foundation
Quality. Transparency. Partnership. Sustainability.
Ec
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Ecosystem
Affordable Private School Initiative IMPROVING THE WELL BEING OF
Im
THE WORLDS
Impact
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UNDERSERVED
Genia Topple, Executive Director Molly McMahon, Program Officer Erika Norwood, Communications & Program Associate Aditya Kumar, Program Manager Sarayu Natarajan, Program Manager Audrey Shoemaker, Grants & Program Administrator
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Affordable Private School Initiative
Gray Matters Capital Foundation (GMC), the charitable arm of
By developing and co‐creating programs with local partners, we
Affordable Private Schools (APSs)
Gray Ghost Ventures, believes that access to quality education
aim to increase school offerings and ensure children receive a
are social enterprises that offer
can provide new opportunities and significantly improve lives. In
quality education. We work with schools to provide the tools
quality
2008, GMC launched the Ecosystem Development Program and
and resources needed to offer an effective education
sustainable
began focusing on supporting Affordable Private Schools (APSs)
environment while establishing industry standards to ensure
business
and the ecosystem around them. The Foundation began working
transparency and accountability to stakeholders. We will use
throughout the developing world
in India, where the government faces difficult challenges in
the lessons learned in India, and expand our efforts to impact
and serve millions of children
running the public school system, leaving a large number of
the APS sector in other developing countries.
living
in
education and
model.
some
using
a
e f f i c i e n t APSs
of
the
e x i s t
most
difficult conditions.
children illiterate and uneducated.
Quality Teaching & Learning
Research & Infrastructure Development S c h o o l R a t in g s P r o j e c t
The Foundation partners with other industry leaders to develop performance standards using simple and sustainable systems to monitor and benchmark quality and engage parents and school leaders in assessing student learning.
By developing a solid industry
In an effort to make information readily available and
infrastructure, which will support
transparent in the APS education sector, GMC began the
school growth and leadership,
development of a school rating system in collaboration
we hope to attract partners and
with M‐CRIL, to evaluate a school’s offerings and assess
resources to the industry and drastically improve learning outcomes.
advance student achievement. Our goal is to make the
E n t er p r i s i n gS c h o o l s . c om
system an industry standard which will encourage APS to
The foundation is supporting the development of a multi‐stakeholder website dedicated to the APS community, where organizations and individuals working within the industry can share research, top initiatives and local industry knowledge. We seek to encourage global collaboration and build awareness around the APS sector to increase the level of information available and begin to build best practices within the sector.
environment in which school owners can freely share N a a n d i S c ho o l I m p r ov em e n t P r o j e c t
Research has shown that English fluency
In Spring 2009, GMC partnered with Naandi
offers increased job opportunities and
Foundation to impact learning through
higher wages. APS parents want their
student assessment and teacher training.
children to learn English, yet research in
These interventions will reveal the areas in
the Indian market shows that teachers
which students need the most improvement
have a low level of English language
and allow teachers to address the issues. This
knowledge. In partnership with Pratham
school development approach will help create
India, the Foundation sponsored an
student achievement standards, maximize
English Language Training Program for
learning outcomes, and enable schools to
teachers that aims to enhance English
develop effective improvement plans.
speaking, reading comprehension, and writing
skills
Hyderabad.
among
children
in
GMC aims to expand our impact in the education sector, capitalizing on our experience in India and raising awareness among other stakeholders to build knowledge and best practices globally.
the additional academic services schools provide to
strive towards a top rating score and create an P r at h a m E ng l i s h T r a i nin g P r o g r a m
Building Awareness & Expanding Impact
their data for benchmarking purposes.
M a r k et R e s e a r c h GMC has commissioned several case studies to research the current offerings of APS in developing countries
S c h o o l F i n a n c e F a c i l it y
including India, Kenya, Ghana, Peru, Ecuador, and the
GMC formed the School Finance Facility (SFF) to assist financial institutions explore and expand lending to APSs. Over the long term, GMC envisions a financial vehicle capable of attracting private investor capital that can drive down funding costs for school operators. The SFF also creates a powerful platform from which stakeholders can begin to address APS financing needs and develop better industry, market and school performance information.
Dominican Republic. These studies examine the market demand and support organizations that contribute to the sector’s growth and development, as well as the legal and social environments surrounding the sector. From these studies, we hope to determine the biggest global challenges for APS and develop programs to address the issues.