Donor Q&A: Tayanna Teel, Capital One
November 17, 2021
Tell us about Capital One’s strategy to serve students in the New Orleans community.
Capital One’s Impact Initiative is committed to closing gaps in equity and helping people gain better access to socioeconomic opportunities. As we think about education, we want young people to be college or career ready and have a path that will enable them to get where they want to be. One of the gaps that students experienced was learning loss due to the pandemic and we wanted to make sure we found opportunities to invest in that space, especially for our New Orleans students.
How does New Classrooms’ approach fit into this work?
If we want students to be prepared for the future, it’s essential that they are reaching those important benchmarks along the way. New Classrooms’ approach is a solution to the problem of getting students where they need to be as they build on math skills that will give them more options as they navigate their goals post high school.
How do you see programs like Teach to One impacting student learning experiences and outcomes?
Teach to One is an extremely unique student learning experience because it addresses each student’s needs individually. It can sometimes be challenging for teachers to specialize their lessons in this way and New Classrooms’ approach gives educators another way to reach students who are struggling and grow students who are ready to move to the next level.
What do you see as most critical in closing learning gaps in math and other STEM fields?
There are so many things both at a student level and a structural level that need to happen so students feel confident and are able to excel in math and STEM fields. New Classrooms is a great classroom-based approach. As we look at the skills young people will need to have to excel in their future education and emerging job markets, we know it’s essential for students to be successful in these subjects.