About / How We Work
How We Work
Our mission is to advance equitable, meaningful education that prepares every Boston student to activate their power and shape their future.
We work at the classroom, school, and system levels to accelerate improvement in Boston’s schools.
We combine strategic grantmaking, content expertise, and collaborative implementation to drive system-level impact in Boston schools.
We leverage the body of knowledge, relationships, and trust we have built in the Boston education landscape to advance equity and create impact. EdVestors works in three ways to to advance equitable, meaningful education that prepares every Boston student to activate their power and shape their future:
- Activating people and resources
- Learning and iterating in context
- Influencing system change
Our Values
Our values drive our efforts and shape our relationships with each other and our partners.
Just
We aim to advance racial equity in our organization, schools, and communities, as we continue to learn about and interrogate white supremacy culture and systemic racism. We commit to thoughtfully assessing our role in upholding systems of oppression, to working in community toward mutual accountability, and to remaining optimistic as we pursue equity in education for our students.
In Community
We care for our colleagues and community. We believe the greatest potential for impact comes from working together and that success flows from listening, learning, and working in community.
Thoughtful
We are reflective, critical, and responsive. We are sensitive to the needs and aspirations of those we work with and carefully consider the impact of our actions.
Committed
We are dedicated to making a difference in the lives of Boston students. We invest in sustainable practices that create deep, meaningful, and long-lasting impact.
Optimistic
We believe that an equitable future for our students and ourselves is possible. We bring joy, hope, and a desire to be better
Equity Statement
Equity is explicitly at the core of our decision-making and actions in pursuit of every young person in Boston having access to meaningful education.
Equity Definitions
Adapting resources from the Annie E. Casey Foundation and Stanford Social Innovation Review, we define equity as access for all to opportunities, networks, resources and supports that enable them to thrive. To be achieved and sustained, equity needs to be thought of as a structural and systemic concept.
Adapting resources from Center for Assessment and Policy Development, Race Forward/Center for Social Inclusion, and Equity in the Center, we define racial equity as a combination of:
- Equitable opportunities and outcomes for everyone regardless of race or ethnicity;
- Meaningful involvement of those most impacted by racial inequity and racism in decision making and implementation;
- Addressing root causes of inequities and systemic oppression, where we perpetuate them, and how we can work to eliminate them, leading to racial justice.
Equity Approach
- We dedicate resources toward our internal and external commitments to equity.
- We articulate and share our equity commitments with our partners.
- We center the voices, interests, and needs of those most impacted by our work in our decision-making processes.
- We refine and evolve our goals, approach, and commitments related to equity through our monthly DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) Team, affinity groups, and our annual organizational planning process.
Data Equity
We believe that data is important and are committed to being thoughtful about collecting, analyzing, using, and sharing data in alignment with our organization’s values which includes our commitment to equity. Our Data Equity Statement will guide our intent and actions when collecting, analyzing, using, and sharing data. Click here to view our Data Equity Statement.