The Eskolta Network

Connecting Educators. Transforming Learning.

The Eskolta Network is an improvement community designed to connect educators in the shared challenge of transforming learning for all students. The Eskolta Network offers schools the opportunity to engage in a multi-year effort to build educators’ capacity to make meaningful, sustainable change in their school communities. At a time when multiple social crises are having a dramatic impact on our schools and on the lives of Black, Latinx, and low-income youth, this Network brings together schools that are committed to fight against that impact and to foster equity.

Our Network Aim and Approach 

The aim of the Eskolta Network is for participating educators to ensure that in this moment and into the future, we maintain and increase the percentage of previously underserved Black, Latinx, and low-income high school students who graduate prepared for the future. To achieve this aim, school teams that join the Network will engage in a continuous improvement process and connect with colleagues in other Network schools who are grappling with similar challenges. Through this process, teams will:

• Identify pressing needs and key problems of practice within their schools that align to core school goals 
• Gather student perspectives and data to help them better understand the issues 
• Explore cognitive psychology research alongside practices from other schools that cultivate culturally sustaining practices, a strengths-based culture, and mastery-based learning 
• Design and test prototype solutions, and use continuous improvement strategies to meet the current needs and potential of their schools within the current realities of the school day and structures.
• Study and share lessons learned as they continually adjust and refine practices to make their schools communities of compassion, trust, anti-racism, and high expectations for students and their communities.

Network Focus for 2021–22: Confronting Inequity and Developing Culturally Sustaining Schools

Historically, structures within public education have replicated the systems of oppression in U.S. society that maintain existing white socio-racial hierarchies. One of the ways this has happened is with pedagogy that does not harness the funds of knowledge that students of  diverse backgrounds and cultures bring with them, in order to elevate historically marginalized voices and to foster positive academic outcomes for all students.

The COVID-19 pandemic and demands for racial justice have further highlighted inequities in our school system, forcing educators to rethink how they design schools to support their students. We will work with schools in the Network to create and rethink learning environments that address the needs highlighted by the current crises, and do so in a way that is culturally responsive, strengths-based, and student-centered.

The Eskolta Network serves high schools in New York City, Boston, and Washington, DC. Participating schools receive free professional development and continuous improvement coaching for up to three years. Participating educators receive stipends or per-session.