Something shifted at the NewSchools Venture Fund Summit this year. The topics were familiar: AI, policy uncertainty and financial pressure. The mood was not. Last year’s conversations were reactive and anxious. This year felt more grounded, more experimental and more focused on what works.
EdSolutions Partner Jay Bakhru shared four themes from the Summit, each with strategic implications for leaders in our sector.
1. Less chaos, more direction
The forces shaping education haven’t changed, but the response has. Leaders are moving from asking “what’s happening to us?” to “what do we do about it?” For funders and nonprofits, this is a window. Organizations that invest in clear strategy now will be better positioned to scale when conditions stabilize.
2. The purpose of education is back on the table
AI is forcing the field to ask why schools exist at all, and what education should help young people become. As Frances Messano wrote in SSIR, the question is not only how we improve schools, but what purposes they must serve. That question will shape curriculum, assessment and program strategy over the next decade.
3. Quality, evidence and outcomes are gaining ground
Innovation alone is not enough. The field is asking harder questions about what improves outcomes for students and how to scale what works. Credible evidence is now a competitive and funding imperative.
4. Financial sustainability is no longer a back-burner conversation
With fiscal pressure on state and district budgets and declining enrollment in many regions, the era of abundant public funding is not returning. Organizations that build sustainable models now, rather than waiting for the next funding cycle, will be the ones that endure.