Our Motivation

Education opens the doors of curiosity and potential for young people across their lifetime. However, supporting educators to foster learning for communities whose challenges result from historic disinvestment, poverty, and trauma is not so simple. The science of systems and implementation is critical to sustain great education long into the future.

Schools are working for some, but not all children, especially children growing up in poverty. In schools made up of 75% or more low-income students, there are 3 times the number of out-of-field teachers than in wealthier school districts. (Darling-Hammond & Sykes, 2003). 

Families in poverty are less likely to live in neighborhoods with resource-rich school opportunities and have less time and resources to spend on out-of-school time enrichment activities. This opportunity deficit compounds over time. 

Educators are tasked to provide academic gains for children with limited dollars, a dwindling bench of teachers, political pressures, and growing social inequities.

Long-term solutions are difficult to implement when educators are strapped with day-to-day firefighting.

SKIP creates space to step back from firefighting. We collaborate with educators to conduct rigorous research, interrogate the structure of the system that perpetuates inequities, and incubate new approaches so kids can thrive.