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Looking Ahead to 2020

To deeply embed experiential learning in 15 of the highest need cities across the country,
Out Teach has launched a four-year Strategic Growth Plan.

The plan will leverage a one-time $6M growth capital campaign to fuel our expansion, accelerating our growth from serving 10 new schools a year in Texas and the Mid-Atlantic to serving more than 130 new schools each year across six regions and 15 cities.

2020 Growth Plan Goals

Geographic Expansion

    • Launch operations for four new regions
    • Expand current regions (Mid-Atlantic and Texas) and new regions to serve school districts in 12 new cities

Product Diversification and Scale-Up

    • Introduce and scale professional learning program for schools with existing gardens
    • Build 67 new outdoor classrooms; activate 218 existing gardens

Deepen Teacher Engagement

    • Launch online Coaching Center to support professional learning program
    • Expand curriculum to include 180+ new lessons on STEM, English Language Arts, environmental literacy, and nutrition education
    • Deepen evaluation to align with national teacher evaluation systems

 

Financial Plan

By 2020, the Out Teach annual operating budget will increase 300% to $8M. While the growth plan will be fueled initially by capital investment, the financial sustainability plan includes a mix of revenue from regional philanthropy (35%) and earned income (65%) derived from school fees and corporate partners that leverage garden-building projects for employee volunteerism. Each region will reach financial sustainability by its fourth year of operation.

Progress to Date

(July 1, 2016–April 1, 2017)
Geographic Expansion

  • Successfully launched first new region–The Carolinas (Region 3)
  • Expanded reach to serve districts in two new markets: Charlotte and Baltimore
  • Piloting school partnership in Nashville (potential Region 4)
  • Preparing to launch second new region – The Southeast on July 1, 2017
  • Conducting due diligence on Regions 5-6 (considering Ohio and Florida)

Product Diversification and Scale-Up

  • Introduced standalone professional learning program for schools with existing gardens
  • Expanded new school partners in two existing regions (Mid-Atlantic and Texas) by 100% (from FY16)
  • Built 7 outdoor learning labs; Activated 20 existing gardens
  • Deepen Teacher Engagement
  • Hired National Director of Training & Curriculum Development to lead education program and ensure program fidelity across regions
  • Created 30 new lessons aligned with Common Core and Next Gen Science Standards; filmed training videos to accompany 10 new lessons
  • Constructed digital education platform and designed user interface
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Out Teach, formerly REAL School Gardens, provides professional development for elementary school teachers. Out Teach prepares them to use school gardens, outdoor classrooms, and green schoolyards to improve instruction through three-dimensional project-based learning, and outdoor experiential inquiry-based education. Professional learning with Out Teach improves hands-on science and STEM education through instructional coaching and digital education resources and improves 21st Century skills.