The mission of the Carnegie Foundation is to catalyze transformational change in education so that every student has the opportunity to live a healthy, dignified, and fulfilling life.

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching was chartered by an act of Congress in 1906. Since then, it has pioneered a broad range of transformative advancements in K–12 and higher education, including the creation of the Carnegie Unit; TIAA; standards for schools of law, medicine, education, and engineering; Educational Testing Service; the GRE; Pell Grants; the Carnegie Classifications; the U.S. Department of Education; and the use of improvement science to build the field’s capacity to improve.

Today, the Carnegie Foundation has set its sights on tackling the nation’s most significant educational challenge: achieving educational equity for Black, Latinx, Indigenous, Asian and Pacific Islander, and first-generation students, as well as those from low-income households. Carnegie will leverage its expertise, assets, partnerships, convening power, and social and reputational capital to address longstanding educational inequities that impede economic mobility and exacerbate racial inequality.

To accomplish these aims, the Foundation will pursue four intersecting strategic priorities:

1. Educational Attainment:  We increase the number of underrepresented students who complete high school and succeed in post-secondary education.
2. Postsecondary Innovation: We transform the postsecondary sector to advance the social and economic mobility of underrepresented students.
3. The Future of Learning: We mobilize and propel engaging and rigorous learning experiences that prepare all students to thrive now and in the future.
4. Improvement Science: We advance the high quality use of improvement science to address the nation’s most important educational equity challenges.

Carnegie will not do this work alone. Key to executing the work—and having impact at scale—are partnerships. Essential, then, is deepening Carnegie’s connections across the educational sector by forging community with the many organizations and stakeholders with whom we already collaborate and with whom we historically have not.

Carnegie will continue to be convener, ideator, designer, illuminator, amplifier, and propellent. However, an institutional commitment to equity compels us to collaborate in new ways with new partners using new mechanisms to invite new stakeholders to engage, solve problems, build knowledge, and have impact with us.

Our core values are instrumental to building an equitable, impactful, and joyful institution. It is the responsibility of every member of the Carnegie community to enact our values with each other and our partners every day.

Everyone Matters

We value the diverse identities and histories of those that come to the Foundation. We encourage one another to bring our whole selves to the work; to embrace our unique voices, differences, and contributions; and to build an authentic, equitable organization.

Intellectual Tenacity

We are committed to learning from success and failure. Our intellectual journey is driven by curiosity, informed by ongoing learning, and challenged through persistent reflection.

Excellence in Execution

We embrace the collaborative nature of our work and recognize that being an active learner is essential to achieve excellence. Our ideas matter to the extent that we make them come alive in our daily work with partners and in the ways that they shape the lives of students.

Integrity in Action

We say what we mean and we do what we say. We act with integrity, purpose, and humility.

Compassion and Empathy Toward All

We relate to others with a spirit of respect, compassion, and empathy. Our interactions are characterized by professional dignity, openness, and kindness.

Joy in the Work

We celebrate one another and meaningful work well done, and we work together to foster a just and joyful organization.

Carnegie Main Office

Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
51 Vista Lane
Stanford, CA 94305
Phone: 650-566-5100
Fax: 650-326-0278
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