Our core values
We hold ourselves accountable to the values we espouse, making decisions and taking actions that align with our commitments, even when it's challenging. They are:
Our actions and decisions focus on addressing barriers, filling critical needs where they are most lacking, and are deeply rooted in our vision and commitment to transfer power to those who are closest to the problems we are solving.
We acknowledge that transformation, including in education, is gradual and requires reflective decision-making. We embrace a willingness to adapt and learn from mistakes, show perseverance, and try new techniques to continuously improve, in pursuit of excellence.
We invest in building relationships, taking care of one another, and creating joyful and inspiring spaces for both our team and with our community, who are at the heart of our work. We focus on the voices of learners, educators, and implementers. We intentionally collaborate with other organizations and individuals to achieve our shared goals.
We practice open, honest communication and readily share information about our decisions, processes, and performance. This openness fosters trust, encourages dialogue, and enhances mutual understanding. We have a strong commitment to creating open models and products so that it can be shared widely and with limited barriers.
We value inputs gained from the wisdom of varied lived experiences, research, and data to incorporate into our work. We actively seek and engage with diverse perspectives that differ from our own and listen to understand.
Recognizing our position in the world
As a non-profit organization based in the United States, we constantly examine our positionality, and consequently our risks of perpetuating systemic racism and oppression, and our responsibility to contribute to their dismantling. We acknowledge that we are a group of people with varied experiences, who make mistakes and have more to learn. We strive to shift our power to the organizations we collaborate with around the world, primarily in low-income, under-resourced countries, so that through thoughtful and collective action, we can break down systems of oppression, and help create a more just, inclusive and equitable world for all learners.