The Two Screens for Teachers initiative, focused on providing educators with a second monitor for home use, has successfully secured sufficient funding to equip every teacher in the Seattle Public School system who requires one with a new display. The organization anticipates this achievement will encourage similar philanthropic efforts in other school districts nationwide.

The challenge of managing a classroom of 30 students while simultaneously handling instructional materials and administrative tasks on a single laptop screen is understandably stressful, and many teachers have been facing this situation for several months.

Launched in September, Two Screens for Teachers directly links teachers in need of a second monitor – a significant majority – with individuals willing to contribute financially. While thousands of monitors have already been distributed, a waiting list exceeding 20,000 remains, highlighting the need for ongoing support and generous contributions.

Thanks to the generosity of individuals in Seattle, the organization now has the resources to provide a new monitor to each of the approximately 3,000 teachers within the Seattle public school system. Educators in the district are encouraged to register within the next week to receive theirs!

The project was initially conceived by Walk Score co-founders Matt Lerner and Mike Mathieu, but its expansion was made possible through the collaboration of Seattle-based investors and entrepreneurs. They collectively raised around $430,000, including a matching grant from the Mark Torrance Foundation, contributions from former employees of Amazon, Microsoft, and Redfin, and investments from venture capitalists at Madrona Venture Group and Pioneer Square Labs.

The success in Seattle is intended to inspire comparable initiatives in other communities across the nation, where numerous teachers continue to face similar needs.

“We are calling on tech professionals in the Bay Area, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Denver, Salt Lake City, Atlanta, Austin, Dallas, Pittsburgh, and Raleigh-Durham to demonstrate their support for teachers and ensure students remain connected,” Lerner stated in a press release. While these cities have been specifically challenged, participation from other locations is also welcomed.

Lerner confirmed to us that Two Screens for Teachers is prepared to facilitate the process by making discounted bulk purchases of monitors – rather than directly matching individual donors with teachers, as was the original approach – and empowering regional leaders to raise funds for local distribution. A guide outlining cost estimation and partner identification is available in this post.

With a spirit of positive competition, it is hoped that other cities and individuals seeking a meaningful way to contribute will accept this challenge and provide this valuable resource to their local educators. Further information and donation options can be found at twoscreensforteachers.com.