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
Clarksville-Montgomery County School System and Austin Peay State University: Honest Conversation for Better Partnerships
This case study appears in our publication Partnering on Prep: A Toolkit for Building Strong District-Teacher Preparation Program Partnerships. You can access the full publication here. When Lisa Barron became the Director of Teacher Education and Partnerships at Austin Peay State University (APSU), she knew that APSU had work to do. Though the institution was placing student teachers in an...
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Meet Our People
Rashidah Lopez Morgan works with K-12 education leaders to create and implement organizational strategies and talent management solutions that meet the needs of all students. She has worked with many state and local education agencies, including Achievement School District in Tennessee, Denver Public Schools and the New York State Department of Education, and she also has worked with the Bill...
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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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