No. 99: School Choice

This voucher can be redeemed for one educational newsletter of your choosing. I kid, but that's related to the main story this week: the rise of school choice and the downstream impacts it's having on public schools. We're also going to dig into new investment rules in Europe and how they're trying to combat greenwashing for financial products. ESG, SRI, OMG – okay, that last one doesn't count – and more below.

If you fancy yourself a "Director" of sorts, you'll want to check out this week's featured job at one of my favorite nonprofits. School is now in session!

~ Greg

What we're reading

The push for school choice is reducing the funding available to public school systems by redirecting taxpayer dollars towards private schools. (CNN)

• There are various forms of school choice or voucher programs across the U.S., and they have grown increasingly popular in Republican-led states. The idea is that families can get a voucher that helps them enroll their children in private schooling if they choose.
  • It's not necessarily a bad idea to give people the option to seek out a better education for their children. Unfortunately, these options have contributed to some particularly troubling downstream effects.
• In Arizona – the first state to establish a universal voucher program that gives parents the option to take money allocated to public schools and apply it instead to tuition for private schools – the program has proven so popular that one school district had to shutter three schools last month.
  • One argument could be made that it's just the education system responding to market forces. When we think of creating a market, we expect higher quality and lower prices as companies compete. But that's not necessarily what's happening here.
  • Results have been mixed. Back when I was growing up, private school usually meant one of two things: religious affiliation or college preparatory. Although these are still in play, many new private schools have been created in response to the voucher programs, and the associated educational standards can be lower than those of public schools. Some of them close.
  • Voucher programs are also more likely to benefit affluent students. According to one University of Colorado professor, their research showed that parents that were already sending their children to private school are essentially getting a stipend they don't need.
• It seems like some guardrails are in order, perhaps to focus the type of beneficiary. States used to do this – with vouchers targeted at low-income or disabled students – but it's going to be difficult to take away something that has gone into effect already.

Europe has created new rules which dictate whether an investment fund can use the terms ESG, SRI, or other "social impact" vocabulary based on the companies in which it invests. (Inside Climate News)

• ESG (environmental, social, and governance) and SRI (socially responsible investing) have grown in popularity over the past few years as more investors express interest in aligning their investments to their values.
• There's just one problem: a bunch of companies in so-called ESG funds are at odds with the mission, namely fossil fuel, tobacco, and weapon companies.
• Fund managers will need to divest from these types of companies in order to retain their social impact branding.
  • I think this might be the first time I've seen anti-greenwashing legislation. The sustainability space has become so crowded that it's difficult to know whether the term can be trusted – what is sustainable to one person might be severely lacking to another.
  • That's part of the value of the B Corp or Fair Trade certification for example. A third party audit carries additional weight, generally speaking.
• These may be European rules, but they do impact American companies. I'm keeping an eye out to see if similar guidelines roll out to U.S. markets, and in the meantime, maybe we should consider investing in the European funds.

Job of the week

One of my favorite nonprofits surfaced in my job sleuthing this week, so I had to give them the job of the week slot. If you haven't heard of Donors Choose, they help connect teachers at public schools to people like you and me who want to invest in education. It's set up kind of like Kickstarter: teachers scope out a project that they need help funding – like hosting a Juneteenth carnival or creating a makerspace – and people fund the projects that interest them.

I'm a fan, but this is about your job search! They're hiring for a few Director-level roles at the moment: one in Marketing & Analytics, one in Business Development, and one in Operations Strategy & Enablement. All of them support remote work, and you can also do a hybrid approach in New York City. If you're looking to make a big difference in the classroom, here's your chance.

Community roundup

• Activists from Just Stop Oil were arrested last week after spraying orange cornflour on Stonehenge ahead of a summer solstice gathering. (NBC News)
• Eversource has set up the first-ever geothermal network in Framingham, MA which will help heat and cool an entire neighborhood. Normally, a geothermal energy retrofit is performed one home at a time and can be cost-prohibitive. (ABC News)
  • This is pretty cool on its own, no pun intended, but what makes it special is that they targeted an environmental justice population – that means the people benefiting from this network are more likely to be minority homeowners making well below the median income for the state.
• Releaf Paper is partnering with cities around Europe to repurpose dead leaves and turn them into paper products. Typically, cities burn leaves to get rid of them – Releaf is able to turn leaves into fiber, reducing the need to cut down more trees. (Euronews)
• The Iowa Board of Education has adopted new rules that require educators to notify parents if their children ask to use different pronouns in the classroom. (USA Today)
  • It is a response to a state law that passed last year and is currently being challenged by the ACLU and Lambda Legal. Similar laws have been passed in states around the country.
• The first batch of American Climate Corps workers was inducted last week. Around 9,000 people will begin working on various climate projects around the country, and you can check out additional opportunities here. (Grist)
• No more popping your Amazon packaging – they're finally retiring those plastic pillows for good. You may have already noticed an influx of paper filler, which is made with 100% recycled content. (The Verge)
• For the first time, the number of fish that were farmed from aquaculture and fisheries exceeded the number of fish harvested. (Grist)
  • On face value, this seems like a good thing – less overfishing. Aquaculture can damage ecosystems, however, and if the farmed fish mix with wild fish, they can spread disease or mess with genetics.

Hot job opportunities

• Manager, People Operations – Kickstarter – Remote
• National Strategic Account Manager – Fireclay Tile – Remote
• Senior Product Marketing Manager – Coursera – Remote
• Account Strategist – Blaze Partners – Falmouth, ME
• Recruiter – EDSI – Allentown, PA
• Sales Manager – Lotus Sustainables – Remote
• Engineering Director – HopSkipDrive – Remote
• Benefits & People Operations Specialist – Warby Parker – New York, NY
• Project Specialist – CLEAResult – Remote
• Digital Organizing Director, Political Innovation – Movement Labs – Remote

Hiring for mission-driven talent? Post a job for free on our job board.

Looking for a job? Submit your resume to our talent pool, and let social impact companies come to you.

Resource of the week

A few weeks ago, I talked about how solar energy is on an explosive rise, particularly compared to other renewable energy sources. Growth equals new jobs, and on that front, I'd like to point you to SEIA, the Solar Energy Industries Association.

You can think of SEIA as a trade association for all things solar, and their organization dates back to the 70s. More importantly, they maintain a member directory that's ripe for finding solar and solar-adjacent companies in your area. They have a handy search where you can filter members by state or business type – they're not all solar installers. You can find communications and marketing firms that focus on clean energy, nonprofits, and lots and lots of consultancies. If you like your planet greener, check 'em out.

Test your knowledge

Last week, we dug into the history of Juneteenth and the people who helped turn it into a federal holiday. The "Grandmother of Juneteenth" is Opal Lee – she organized local Juneteenth celebrations for decades before leading walking campaigns from Fort Worth, TX to Washington, DC to bring more attention to the cause.

While we're on the topic of history, why not make it more tangible?

Which international organization is responsible for monitoring and protecting the world's cultural and natural heritage sites?

Email me your guess, and I'll send one lucky winner a couple of One Work stickers!

I am preparing to disappear into Dawntrail, the latest expansion for Final Fantasy XIV which comes out on Friday. Characters in FFXIV specialize in a variety of jobs, so maybe it counts as newsletter research? You can find me on LinkedIn and Threads.