Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Jefferson Education Accelerator to Test New Education Delivery Approaches

  • 02/23/15

INDIANAPOLIS — USA Funds® recently announced a $3 million investment in the Jefferson Education Accelerator, which will identify, test and nurture innovative education technology solutions. An initiative of the University of Virginia Curry School of Education Foundation, the accelerator will support education technology entrepreneurs with consulting, mentoring, testing, piloting and financing.

“We are pleased to serve as lead investor in this education innovation accelerator as part of our focus on Completion With a Purpose,” says William D. Hansen, USA Funds president and CEO. “We believe that emerging technologies hold great promise for reshaping the pathway to and through college and on to rewarding careers and fulfilling futures for our nation’s students.”

Although best known for its historic role as a student loan guarantor, during the past year, USA Funds has made significant investments in initiatives that promote completion of postsecondary education and training programs with a strong connection to success following graduation. USA Funds is advancing Completion With a Purpose through grant making, policy research and investments in new solutions, such as the Jefferson Education Accelerator.

A unique aspect of the Jefferson Education Accelerator that made it especially attractive to USA Funds is its ability to test new education innovations. “The accelerator will apply the expertise of faculty, students, teachers and administrators to identify which innovations will work in a ‘real-world’ setting,” says Mark L. Pelesh, USA Funds, executive vice president, Corporate and Business Development. “This type of research is invaluable in helping both investors and educators support initiatives that will deliver the greatest impact.”

During the past year, USA Funds has awarded philanthropic grants totaling more than $20 million to initiatives that promote Completion With a Purpose.

USA Funds is a nonprofit corporation that supports Completion With a PurposeSM, building a more purposeful path for America’s students to and through college and on to rewarding careers and successful lives. USA Funds pursues its nonprofit mission through philanthropic activities and partnerships, policy research, and programs and services that enhance preparation for, access to and success in higher education. Learn more at www.usafunds.org.

Featured

  • abstract illustration of school gym

    How the Gymnasium Can Serve as a Model for Learning Space Design

    Multipurpose gyms work because flexibility was built into the brief from the start, not retrofitted later. The same logic applies to academic spaces.

  • Washington State District Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

    Cheney School District No. 360 in Spokane County, Wash., recently announced that construction has begun on a new elementary school, according to local news. The district held a groundbreaking ceremony on May 18 in Airway Heights for the yet-to-be-named school, which is scheduled to open in fall 2027.

  • Texas Recruitment

    Texas Recruitment

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. The University of Texas at Austin's Texas Recruitment has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Grand Prize award in the category of Renovation.

  • Myrtle Grove Elementary

    Phased Construction Keeps Students on Campus During Rebuild

    When Escambia County School District needed to replace most of Myrtle Grove Elementary School in Pensacola, Fla., it had three distinct challenges: honor the school's legacy in the community, bring state-of-the-art learning environments to the county, and be seamlessly built on the same site as the active school campus.