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Bill Gates just announced they are increasing their grantmaking from $6 billion to $9 billion each year, with a substantial chunk going to education (see Gates Foundation Adds $20 Billion to Its Coffers at The NY Times).

It sounds like he wants to focus his education grantmaking in so-called “Personalized Learning” (see The Best Resources For Understanding “Personalized Learning”).  Here’s what he wrote in his actual announcement today:

Improving educational outcomes. Just equipping students with computers only improves education outcomes modestly. By adding personalized, engaging curriculum and systems to detect when students need advice and support, the foundation’s partners have seen substantial gains. This work covers everything from structured pedagogy in lower-income countries to improving math instruction in the American K-12 system to preparation for key classes in college. Getting this right has turned out to be far harder than I expected, but it is clearly achievable.

As most educators know, the Gates Foundation has made countless mistakes in their education funding over the years (see just one example at After Spending $575 Million On Teacher Evaluation, Gates Foundation Says, “Oops”).

I hope they have learned from their mistakes.

I’m adding this info to The Best Resources For Learning About The Role Of Private Foundations In Education Policy.