Education First’s resource library offers curated resources, toolkits, policy memos and templates that have served our clients around the country and are now available to support you. Use these resources to guide your strategic planning, to stay fresh on hot-topic reform areas (like Common Core and college- and career- ready assessments), to improve your planning and implementation at the state or local levels and to inform grantmaking strategies and investments in areas that will improve student outcomes. Don’t see something you need? Contact us and we’ll be happy to help.
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Improving Early Math Instruction and Outcomes:
Community ProfilesTo help grantees, educators, policymakers and colleague foundation leaders understand ways to create a strong start in math for early learners, the Heising‐Simons Foundation asked...
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Parent Engagement and Early Math:
A California Landscape ScanThe Heising‐Simons Foundation is especially interested in the role parents and family members can play as partners with educators to boost math outcomes for children...
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Improving Early Math Instruction and Outcomes:
Information and Recommendations for California Policymakers, Education Leaders and FundersFor the Heising-Simons Foundation in 2019, Education First examined challenges and opportunities for improving early math in California and suggested steps for state and local...
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In a State of Flux, Part Two:
Opportunities and Challenges for Innovation for State Assessment and AccountabilityIn partnership with the Walton Family Foundation, Education First developed a comprehensive “State of State Assessments: Part Two” report summarizing the challenges and opportunities for...
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Making the Most of Grantmaking
A Primer for Designing and Launching Open RFPsRigorous and transparent open Request for Proposals (RFP) processes are one strategy grantmakers can use to source, vet and select high-potential grantees. Done well, RFPs...
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Integrating Social, Emotional, and Academic Development (SEAD)
An Action Guide for School Leadership TeamsTo help principals and school leadership teams see how social and emotional learning can enhance academic performance, and how to weave social-emotional development into every...
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Partnering on Prep
A Toolkit for Building Strong District-Teacher Preparation Program PartnershipsIn 2016, with the support of the Joyce Foundation, Education First released Ensuring High-Quality Teacher Talent, which made the case for strong, bold district-teacher preparation partnerships...
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What’s Next for Innovative Schools?
Recommendations for Funders and the FieldWhile innovative school models and practices are taking hold across the U.S., the field lacks sufficient research, evidence and support to ensure high-quality implementation, widespread...
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Teacher Preparation Transformation Centers Learning Series: Technical Assistance
What Does High-Quality Technical Assistance in Teacher Preparation Look Like?Many organizations offer technical assistance to teacher preparation programs seeking to improve their programming. But until recently, there was no common way to assess the...
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Funder Collaborations – Flourish or Flounder?
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...
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Whatever Happened to All Those New & Better State Tests?
The State of State AssessmentsIn 2010, 46 states joined together in two different consortia (PARCC and Smarter Balanced) to create higher-quality, next-generation state summative assessments. Though these new tests...
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Teacher Preparation Transformation Centers Learning Series: Teacher Educators
If We Want Excellent Teachers, We Need Excellent Teacher EducatorsTo give all students great educational opportunities, we need outstanding teachers in our classrooms. But we can’t forget that, when participating in teacher preparation programs...
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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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Making the Most of ESSA: Opportunities to Advance STEM Education
A Review of ESSA Plans for Innovations in Science, Technology, Engineering and MathHigh-quality STEM education is necessary to grow our economy, meet workforce needs and inspire young minds; ESSA provides an opportunity for states to drive their...
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Teacher Preparation Transformation Centers Learning Series: Introduction
How We're Working Together to Improve Teacher PreparationTeachers’ jobs are becoming more complex every day. As expectations for teachers change, the way we prepare teachers for the classroom must also change. In...
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Investing in Title II-A: Strengthening School and Teacher Leadership
Making the Most of the Every Student Succeeds ActOpportunities exist in Title II-A, now more than ever before, to design and fund strategies uniquely tailored to support school and teacher leaders. States are...
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State Teacher Leadership Toolkit
Created By States, For StatesState 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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Creating Great Schools For Washington Students
To prepare Washington students for success in their home state, we must improve outcomes at low-performing schools and for struggling students. That is the premise...
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Effective Practices for Postsecondary Student Success in California
Similar to many other states, California’s efforts to boost college completion rates, while commendable, require new innovations to strengthen results. We developed this brief alongside...
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Social and Emotional Learning: Why Students Need It. What Districts are Doing About It.
In this publication, we highlight social-emotional learning (SEL) successes in three leading school districts—Anchorage School District (AK), Bridgeport Public Schools (CT) and Sacramento City Unified...
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The Common Core Standards & Assessment Landscape
A lot has changed since 2010, when states began adopting Common Core State Standards and aligned assessments. Each year has seen some states attempt to...
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Let’s Get This Conversation Started
Strategies, Tools, Examples and Resources to Help States Engage with Stakeholders to Develop and Implement their ESSA PlansThe Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is an opportunity for states to not only connect with current education advocates, but to seek out those who...
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Inside the Schoolhouse
Untold Stories of Delaware's Education ProgressWhat was it like inside a state that implemented a cascade of new education policies over the past five years? In “Inside the Schoolhouse: Untold...
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Choices and Trade-offs
Key Questions for State Policymakers when Selecting High School AssessmentsThe Every Student Succeeds Act gives states the flexibility to decide how to measure student success in high school. This guide—developed with the input of...
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