Investing in the Teacher Pipeline: How Philanthropy Can Address the Teacher Shortage

The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading (CGLR), with support from the William Penn Foundation, invites you to the capstone session of our special four-part series, The Teacher Pipeline: Creating Enduring Pathways into Teaching. Grounded in CGLR’s big bet that professionalizing and strengthening the teacher workforce is essential for disrupting the generational cycle of poverty, this funder-to-funder conversation examines how philanthropy can move beyond isolated, incremental fixes toward holistic, systemic investments. We will examine how philanthropic leaders can align state-level advocacy with local pipeline innovations to create a more coherent system of support. By spotlighting collaborative models — such as the #PANeedsTeachers campaign — the session will illustrate the synergy required between local, regional and state funders to build and sustain a high-quality educator workforce.

Panelists: Stephanie Banchero, The Joyce Foundation; James Doyle, The Grable Foundation; Kirsten Russell, The Community Foundation of Sarasota; Shayne Spalten, Charles & Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies. Moderator: Stephanie Waller, William Penn Foundation.