Blog

At Education First, we work towards the vision that all students—particularly low-income students and students of color—receive an education that prepares them for success in college, career and life. Implicit in this vision is the belief that every child, when given the right supports, can achieve their dreams; a child should never be defined or limited by their background. That...
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Over the past year, state education agencies (SEAs) have vastly improved how they communicate and engage with their stakeholders. This was in large part in response to a requirement under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) that states proactively engage with stakeholders ranging from parents to charter school leaders to foster families to English language learners to inform their plans....
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We were not surprised by what happened in Charlottesville last week. Angry, yes; disappointed, sure. But white supremacy looms over every aspect of American society. Why wouldn’t it flood our streets? At Education First, we’re proud to support many educators and leaders committed to improving opportunities for students of color. But we struggled with what we should say in response...
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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 first post here, and learn more about the Fund and other winners here. Last summer, I was awarded a NoVo SEL Innovation Fund grant to create a documentary about the journey I was facilitating for...
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Social and 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 to ensure that high-quality, integrated SEL is present in a meaningful and asset-based manner in all schools. How should funders and other SEL supporters invest their resources to make the greatest impact? Our new...
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At Education First, we hire the most talented and passionate educators and policy advisors in P-20 public education so that we can bring deep, practical expertise to our partners and deliver with quality the premium solutions we promise. And once we bring those individuals on board, we take pride in both prioritizing their professional growth and seeking out opportunities for...
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Teachers are the single most important school-based factor affecting student achievement. Unfortunately, low-income students and students of color have less access to effective teaching than other students—a reality that has contributed to massive educational inequity. There’s no question that we need to do better. Over the past two decades, the federal government has taken some important steps in this area....
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Dr. Celine Coggins founded Teach Plus in 2007 to create policy and practice leadership paths for excellent teachers. During her 10 years at the helm of Teach Plus, Celine set the national agenda for the organization that speaks to both teacher needs and policy opportunities. This September she will be joining the faculty of the Harvard Graduate School of Education;...
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There’s no question that improving our education system is a complicated, multifaceted challenge. But are still small, simple steps that we can take to improve the day-to-day experience of students and educators. For instance, what if schools made a commitment to encourage kindness each and every day? Enter the Middle School Kindness Challenge. Developed with the support of Stand for...
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Improving how we prepare teachers is critical if we want to provide better opportunities for all children. And while that won’t be easy, there are steps we can take now to help ensure teachers are effective on their first day in the classroom. In their excellent new report Using Data to Ensure That Teachers Are Learner Ready on Day One,...
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