100Kin10 Solutions Labs are multi-month experiences for partners to explore a field-wide challenge and co-develop and co-fund a coordinated solution. 100Kin10’s second Solution Lab resulted in a set of nationally-tested messaging for how to talk parents and teachers about college-and-career ready standards, including the Common Core State Standards and the Next Generation Science Standards. Building on that work, 100Kin10 Funders Collaborative member Carnegie Corporation of New York sponsored a special funding opportunity in the summer of 2015 to support partners to use these valuable resources. Through the competition, Carnegie Corporation awarded $225,000 in grants to five partners:

1. A state association of science teachers to develop one toolkit for teachers to use to communicate the benefits of NGSS to families and a second toolkit aimed at familiarizing policymakers and business leaders with the new standards

2. A professional development organization to partner with a school district to create modules to increase awareness of NGSS among teachers, parents, and students with special attention to English language learners

3. A large school district to reach more parents at the elementary level with new tools such as parent workshops and on-demand videos

4. A nonprofit to produce mini-case studies profiling school leaders who have led their school’s transition to CCSS with a focus on strategies to familiarize teachers and families with the new standards

5. A university to improve recruitment through communicating about how their programs prepare teachers using the new standards