Barr’s goal for public education is to close education opportunity gaps in Boston so that public school achievement is no longer predicted by demographics or address. In support of this goal, our investments are focused on three areas:

Boston Public Schools

Ensuring that the Boston Public Schools system is able to achieve substantial progress in schools where achievement disparities are most pronounced.

Barr invests in building strategic and management capacity at the Boston Public Schools, so that district leaders can fulfill their vision and play their part in helping schools close opportunity gaps.

The Boston Public Schools (BPS), which enroll nearly 80% of Boston’s children, are the primary focus of our education investments.

Early Education

Ensuring Boston's children enter school ready to learn

The importance of quality early education has been well documented. Our focus is on ensuring that all of Boston's children enter school ready to learn and are reading proficiently by grade three.

Out-of-School System

Developing a more robust out-of-school system so that all Boston neighborhoods have good options for their children

Children and youth spend more time out of school than in it. We believe that organized and effective out-of-school activities help create better students and residents. Rather than supporting individual programs, we focus on collaborative efforts to improve the overall quality of Boston’s out-of-school system.