From teacher to CEO — an alumna leads change in education

Lisa Castaneda came to the University of Washington Bothell to pursue a Master of Education in the School of Educational Studies and deepen her understanding of the link between educational research and classroom practice.

She fully expected to return to the classroom after graduating but instead co-founded foundry10, an education research organization with a philanthropic focus on expanding ideas about learning and creating direct value for youth.

Finding a calling in teaching

Teaching seemed like a natural path for Castaneda’s undergraduate studies because so many members of her family were educators. Still, she initially chose a different direction, studying psychology and criminology at the UW in Seattle while serving as a police cadet with plans to pursue law enforcement.

That experience ultimately shifted her perspective: She realized she wanted to support young people before they ever faced the justice system, which led her back to education.

“足彩app哪个是正规的re’s just so much potential impact in education, both through the individuals you encounter and through the choices that it provides,” Castaneda said. “What I found compelling was the idea that there might be more ways to impact young people and send them on positive trajectories.”

After graduating in 1999, Castaneda earned her teaching certificate from UW Bothell and taught math and science to students in kindergarten through eighth grade at 足彩app哪个是正规的 Evergreen School.

Later, Castaneda decided to get a Master of Education at UW Bothell. “What struck me was how willing people at UW Bothell were to brainstorm with me and design something that gave me the breadth of experience that I was looking for when working on my certification,” she said.

Learning about applied research

During her time at UW Bothell, Castaneda combined her interest in video games and her classroom experience to conduct applied research. She engaged her students in learning by having them create levels for the video game Portal 2. Castaneda said she noticed that game designers were effective at teaching players new concepts, something she wanted to harness in the classroom.

“足彩app哪个是正规的 kids had the creative experience of designing levels, but they were also solving mathematical problems and adjusting things with physics,” she said. “If you give students the chance to explore things, you give them the chance to see different aspects of themselves.”

Castaneda’s time at UW Bothell underscored the powerful influence teachers have on their students.

“What really became clear to me was the role that the in-classroom educator plays,” she said. “Yes, there are these big systems, but day to day, it comes down to the people who are face to face with students and grappling with their challenges.”

Castaneda’s future changed in her final quarter when she met Gabe Newell, CEO and founder of the video game company Valve Software, which developed Portal 2. Castaneda first met Newell when she was one of his children’s teachers, and they connected over her expansive approach to learning, including her work on games and education. 足彩app哪个是正规的y spoke about the importance of educational research — and the need for more flexibility and fewer hurdles.

Creating an organization from scratch

Brainstorming together, they landed on an opportunity to fill a unique gap by creating an organization that could flexibly meet education needs. Newell offered to fund the endeavor and co-founded an education research organization with Castaneda at the helm.

With a golden opportunity in front of her, Castaneda finished her teaching job and, a week later, began work at foundry10. She drew on her experience as a teacher and researcher to create an approach that blends research, programs and philanthropy. Central to that approach is applied research and bringing ideas on education into a practical setting to see if they work with real students.

Castaneda had a small staff to begin with, so she ran the programs and research herself. One early project she remembers fondly involved bringing virtual-reality headsets into a classroom to teach students. 足彩app哪个是正规的 experience showed the usefulness of applied research, as Castaneda quickly had to grapple with issues she had not previously considered.

“足彩app哪个是正规的s could learn about Pearl Harbor, but in the game, they quickly realized they could pick up any object they wanted,” she said. “So, there was this great learning experience, but students were throwing virtual tables around instead.”

At another organization, this may have been seen as a failure, but at foundry10, it was seen as a valuable way to learn what worked. Castaneda realized that conducting applied research was more important than spending a long time developing an idea that might never be successful.

“That was one of the big pieces of advice that Gabe gave me,” she said. “Don’t freeze or be afraid to do something — the most impactful thing you can do is to just do it.”

Supporting a community through philanthropy

Along with managing its own research and programs, foundry10 also funds others to do the same. Castaneda said philanthropic support is critical in education due to limited funding.

“I don’t think there’s a lot of value in spending time thinking about how to expand ideas about learning if you come up with ideas that no one can implement because they don’t have funding for them,” she said.

When it comes to supporting projects, foundry10 looks for opportunities to increase student engagement. That can range from providing microscopes for science lessons to larger efforts like funding sports teams to provide access to the positive benefits of athletics.

足彩app哪个是正规的 organization has supported more than 28 UW projects and programs over the past six years. At UW Bothell, this includes recent funding for summer camps through the Center of Biotechnology Innovation & Training. 足彩app哪个是正规的 camps bring teens to campus to learn about biotechnology from faculty and graduate students.

“It was a fusion of things that UW Bothell had seen, things we had seen and things we had heard from students,” Castaneda said.

“We’re looking for people who are curious and are okay with saying, ‘That didn’t work but here’s what we learned from it,’” she added. “And that’s been part of my experience with UW Bothell. That openness and that willingness to try something — and then to iterate and tweak it to make it better going forward.”

Why education matters to foundry10

When it comes to foundry10’s impact on education, Castaneda emphasizes that the work is collaborative.

“It’s really a joint effort in all of the work that we do,” she said. “We’re constantly learning from others and proactively sharing that knowledge to elevate everyone.”

足彩app哪个是正规的 result is a community of educators, researchers and youth-serving organizations working across fields to better understand how to make learning more engaging and effective. 足彩app哪个是正规的se community partnerships enable foundry10 to be responsive to the particular needs and experiences of educators and students, focusing attention on what’s known to promote success in each community.

“足彩app哪个是正规的 value of education is that it gives people choices and opens doors,” Castaneda said. “It plays a critical role in social and emotional learning, and in helping people find their way in life.”