A Conversation With Priscilla Chan and Award Winning Artist Common on Meeting Every Student’s... A Conversation With Priscilla Chan and Award Winning Artist Common on Meeting[...]

Today, Priscilla Chan, co-founder and co-CEO of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and Common - Academy Award, Emmy, and Grammy-winning artist, actor, author, activist, and founder of both the Arts In Motion School and Free to Dream Foundation - participated in an armchair conversation at Gradient Learning's Summer Training in Chicago, Illinois. The conversation was moderated by Justin Sinclair, the Growth Strategy Manager at Gradient Learning. The event brought together 1,300 educators and school leaders to prepare for the upcoming 2024-25 academic year.

During the conversation, Chan emphasized the importance of partnering with educators to unlock every student's potential, no matter who they are or where they live. She discussed the focus of CZI's education work, including bringing together educators and researchers to build tools that address the challenges in the classroom and in schools at large.

Common, known for his activism and social justice work, shared his vision for a whole-child approach to education. He highlighted the efforts at the Arts in Motion School he founded as well as his work on the Free to Dream Foundation. Common is dedicated to empowering high school students to become future leaders, focusing on character development, healthy living, financial literacy, social impact, technology, and leadership.

Another highlight of this year's Summer Training was the official launch of Render, an education technology innovation studio at CZI. As part of Render, designers, engineers, and researchers collaborate directly with teachers and school leaders to develop impactful solutions for K-12 education.

Our co-building approach recognizes that practicing educators hold first-hand insights and ideas that can help solve real challenges in the classroom, and address real student needs. Our approach is also grounded in what the science of learning and development tells us about the needs of the whole child and how kids learn best. Currently, Render is working on three early-stage tools with educators: GroupUp, Lit Booster, and Math Tailor.

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About the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative was founded in 2015 to help solve some of society's toughest challenges - from eradicating disease and improving education, to addressing the needs of our communities. Through collaboration, providing resources and building technology, our mission is to help build a more inclusive, just and healthy future for everyone. For more information, please visit chanzuckerberg.com.