We live in a fast-moving world driven by knowledge, innovation and creativity. Our nation’s schools are adapting to these changes—but much remains to be done. We need a culture change in public education to transform the way we teach, lead and learn.
Education First can help. We are a mission-driven strategy and policy organization with unique and deep expertise in education improvement. We partner with practitioners, policymakers, funders and advocates to design and accelerate policies and plans that help all young people— particularly students in poverty and students of color—succeed in college, careers and life.
Our Latest Thinking
From Our Blog
Looking More Closely at Gaps in College Attainment
Graduating from high school and getting accepted to college is worth celebrating. But that shouldn’t be the ultimate goal: By 2020 about 65 percent of American jobs will require some form of college, an increase from just 28 percent in 1973. We need to be pushing students to not just matriculate, but earn college degrees. This is particularly urgent for...
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Meet Our People
Cristina Munoz supports districts, states and funders assess and implement college and career readiness and school turnaround initiatives. She has worked with district leaders on the implementation of new standards and academic models and has also conducted research and policy analysis for the Aspen Institute and the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation. Both as a classroom teacher and district leader,...
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Helpful Resources
Reimagining the Classroom to Support Students
This is the second in a series of posts written by teacher awardees of the NoVo Social Emotional Learning Innovation Fund. You can read the...
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State Teacher Leadership Toolkit
State education agencies have a unique opportunity through the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) to access the funding and support needed to advance their approach...
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Social & Emotional Learning: Looking Back, Aiming Forward
Social emotional learning (SEL) holds great potential for improving learning and college and career-ready outcomes for all students. But there is much work to do...
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A New Resource for Advocates for High-Quality Assessments
By design, the Common Core standards and other college- and career-ready expectations states have established recently were designed to have a ripple effect throughout the...
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