Blog

Since June 2016, with the support of the Joyce Foundation, three Chief Talent Officers of urban school districts—Mindy Schlegel of Indianapolis Public Schools, Maggie Sullivan of Minneapolis Public Schools and Matt Lyons of Chicago Public Schools—have participated in a community of practice to support their work. You can learn more and watch a set of videos about their experience here. ...
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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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A young poet walks onto the hardwood floor of an illuminated stage. She positions herself within the bright orb of a theatrical flood light. A heavy and deep red velvet curtain provides the backdrop and frames her and a single microphone.  She takes a moment, breathes inaudibly and assesses the audience with an even gaze.  It is a packed house...
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As we’ve previously discussed, the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) presents an important opportunity for states to design education systems that meet the needs of students in their communities. But states can only take advantage of that opportunity by choosing policies and programs that support student success. How can education leaders determine what those are? A new report from...
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This is one of a series of posts written by awardees of the NoVo Foundation Social Emotional Learning Innovation Fund. You can learn more about the Fund and other winners here. Long Lake Elementary was awarded a NoVo SEL Innovation Fund grant this past school year.  Prior to receiving the grant our school committed to focusing efforts on social and...
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Given the complexities of changing education systems, funders regularly collaborate to leverage their influence, channel their funding and mobilize grantees in the same direction. But many well-intentioned collaborations fall short of expectations. So what actions and approaches might lead to more success? In a recently published article in the journal The Foundation Review, we and Barbara Chow (former program director at the William...
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This piece originally appeared in The 74. “I’m just not a math person.” We’ve all heard that phrase from friends, family, or colleagues. Though usually presented as a harmless personality quirk, it conceals math anxiety, insecurity, and potentially a belief that math isn’t as valuable as other areas of study. This has real implications: Research shows that merely expressing math...
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The federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provides an important opportunity for district and state leaders to pursue their visions for equity in education. To help them take full advantage of that opportunity, we partnered with the Aspen Institute Education & Society Program, Chiefs for Change and EducationCounsel to produce Seizing the Moment: A District Guide to Advance Equity Through ESSA. This suite of tools...
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This piece originally appeared in The 74. Now more than ever, a high-quality STEM education matters. The STEM fields cultivate curiosity and creativity while preparing students to reach their highest potential in work and life. They are also critical for personal and national prosperity: In the next decade, almost all of the 30 fastest-growing occupations will require intermediate or advanced...
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Education First is proud to once again seek applications for teacher-led projects that foster social and emotional learning (SEL) skills in students in grades PK-12 through the NoVo Foundation Social Emotional Learning Innovation Fund. We will award up to $5,000 to individual teachers or groups of teachers to implement an innovative project in their classrooms and schools in the 2018-19 school year. Awardees will also have...
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