Our Mission

Strive Educational Partners supports the creation, growth, and sustainability of schools and learning communities that restore childhood, elevate human connection, and protect the mind. We back schools that prioritize reading, play, purpose, and relationships—rather than screens, isolation, or endless testing— and that create meaningful roles for undergraduates who are exploring futures in education and human development.

Our Story & Philosophy

We were founded on a simple but urgent belief: children need more than digital programs, test preparation, and transactional schooling. Childhood must be protected—and school can help, not harm.

We help schools that bring back joy in learning, real human relationships, meaningful reading, and genuine intellectual curiosity. We believe schools thrive when they nurture children academically, socially, and humanly.

That means more books, more conversation, more discovery—less screen dependency, less isolation, and less pressure to standardize childhood.

Investing in Undergraduates, Advancing Opportunity

A core part of our work is helping schools design and sustain Teaching Fellow programs that employ local undergraduates—especially first-generation and low-income students—as paid members of the school community.

These Fellows support classrooms, lead small-group instruction, run reading circles, and build real relationships with children, all under the guidance of experienced educators. This is not volunteer labor; it is paid, purposeful, mentored work that is aligned with education, psychology, and human development pathways.

Research and experience both show that when undergraduates—particularly those who are first-generation or from lower-income backgrounds—are connected to meaningful work, strong mentoring, and a clear sense of contribution, their sense of belonging, persistence, and graduation rates increase. Schools benefit from a reliable, mission-aligned talent pipeline, while undergraduates gain experience, skills, references, and a clearer path into careers that matter.

For us, employing undergraduates is not just a staffing strategy. It is a way to expand the supply of future teachers and school leaders, to advance economic mobility, and to root schools more deeply in the communities they serve.

What We Believe In

Leadership

Eric Grannis — Executive Director

Eric Grannis, an expert in charter school law, has served on multiple school boards, advised many others, and led a charter school incubator. He previously practiced law at Debevoise & Plimpton and served as Legislative Aide to Congressman Charles Rangel. Eric has also taught at Isaac Newton Middle School in East Harlem. He is a graduate of Columbia College and Columbia Law School and co-author of A+ Parenting (HarperCollins, 2023).

Jeffrey Nagel — Treasurer & Secretary

Jeffrey Nagel is an Operating Partner at AEA Investors, advising companies on growth, operations, and leadership. He previously served as CEO of NBTY, a Carlyle portfolio company, and as a Corporate Officer at General Electric. He has chaired multiple organizations and served on several boards. Jeff holds both a B.S. and an M.B.A. from Carnegie Mellon University.

Sonia C. Park — Board Member

Sonia C. Park is Executive Director of the Diverse Charter Schools Coalition, supporting more than 200 schools nationwide. She has previously served as Senior Policy Advisor at the U.S. Department of Education, Executive Director of Manhattan Charter Schools, and led Charter Accountability in New York City. Sonia holds a B.A. from Drew University and an M.S. in Education Policy from Johns Hopkins University.