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From Africa, to New York, to Washington, DC, social entrepreneurs are trying and testing innovative ways to challenge how young people learn. They are preparing students for success and giving them the tools they need to solve serious problems—not just for themselves, but for their communities. As Paul Tough says in his recent New York Times Magazine article, reform isn’t just about policy change, it’s about supporting students after school, giving them the emotional support the need, and ultimately creating an environment that allows them to succeed.

With the school year ending (and beginning in some cases), here is a look at four innovations that are pushing education, learning, and teaching to an entirely new place.

The African Leadership Academy, founded by 2006 Echoing Green Fellows Fred Swaniker and Chris Bradford, just graduated their second class of students. Focused on leadership and entrepreneurship, 86 graduates have the energy, drive and passion to grow, nurture, and accelerate Africa’s potential. In his graduation speech, student Anthony Kagaura referred to his classmates as the “daring generation”—a collection of individuals who are ready to take on the challenges of the future in a very tumultuous time. ALA is supporting Africa’s brightest young people and giving them access to a quality education in their home space.

Michelle Obama visited the children’s crèche at Emthojeni, a primary school in the Sandspruit informal settlement in South Africa—a crèche that was actually created by ALA students. Three ALA young leaders were also invited to join the First Lady’s “Forum for Young African Women Leaders” in Johannesburg, a look at the roles that African women can play in changing the continent.

Blue Engine just wrapped its first year in classrooms. Focused on high-dose tutoring to increase academic rigor in high-need schools, 2010 Echoing Green Fellow Nick Ehrmann and his team of BETA’s (Blue Engine Teaching Assistants) was able to increase the college-readiness rate in math for ninth graders by 187%.

Studies have shown that academic rigor is the single biggest indicator of college readiness, and success in Algebra 1 (a subject not taught in many schools around the United States) is critical for that preparation. Blue Engine is addressing the root cause of the college readiness problem, and with their recent success, the organization is expanding to more schools and incorporating language arts into its core curriculum. Even more compelling about the first year of this organization is that ten of the twelve BETA’s are returning to teach for a second year.

The SEED Foundation in Washington, DC partners with urban communities to support academic rigor, but within a nurturing boarding program, allowing them to teach life skills in a supportive environment. Started in 1997, 82% of SEED graduates from the 2008-2010 classes are first generation college-students; 95% of SEED’s first six classes have enrolled in college within 18 months of graduating from SEED; and three times as many SEED graduates complete college within six years compared to their peers from the same neighborhoods.

SEED was recently recognized for their innovative model by the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation with a grant for $3.5 million to expand their schools to other communities. SEED remains tuition free for its students, but demands excellence and dedication. Founded by Echoing Green Fellows Eric Adler and Raj Vinnakota, SEED is proving that young people are capable of meeting the challenges that they face when they can just find a safe space to jump from.

Generation Schools, founded by 2004 Echoing Green Fellow Furman Brown, is dedicated to system change and innovation in urban education. Currently focusing in the Northeast and Rocky Mountain States, Generation Schools has created a curriculum that expands learning time by up to 30% for all students without increasing the teacher work year, in fact, even decreasing the teacher load by two-thirds; increasing professional development for teachers and effectively increasing teacher capacity to collect data and use new technologies.

The Center for High-Impact Philanthropy named Generation Schools as one of the only two effective whole-school reform models in their Winter 2011 report. By improving teacher effectiveness, GS is actually one of the most cost-effective reforms around the country.

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