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.
-
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...
Read more > -
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...
Read more > -
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...
Read more > -
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...
Read more > -
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...
Read more > -
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...
Read more > -
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...
Read more > -
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...
Read more > -
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...
Read more > -
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...
Read more > -
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...
Read more > -
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...
Read more > -
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...
Read more > -
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...
Read more > -
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...
Read more > -
Making the Most of the Every Student Succeeds Act
A reference guide (and our advice) for states, districts, advocates and funders to advance state goals under ESSA.The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) gives all states the chance to dramatically change the way they approach and think about public education. “Making the...
Read more > -
Formative Assessment in the Classroom: Findings from Three Districts
Our formative assessment study, conducted in collaboration with the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, is a two-part series. Formative Assessment in the Classroom, the study...
Read more > -
How Funder Collaborations Flourish: Lessons from the Common Core Standards
Recognizing the complexity of challenges facing public education, funders regularly collaborate to pool knowledge, align strategies and attract more resources. Over the past five years,...
Read more > -
Districts Rising Briefs
In Districts Rising, we tell the stories of ten school districts and their efforts to raise student achievement and prepare students for college and career....
Read more > -
Aldine Independent School District: Pursuing Equity for Two Decades (and Counting)
In the mid-1990s, Aldine Independent School District embarked on a remarkable journey to transform teaching and learning in all corners of the district. Today, many...
Read more > -
Boston Public Schools: Taking Success Into a New Era
Boston Public Schools has a reputation for being one of the most-improved and stable urban school districts in the nation. In July, a new Superintendent...
Read more > -
Cincinnati Public Schools: Supporting Students and Educators: Whatever It Takes
Cincinnati Public Schools combines a comprehensive set of supports and high academic expectations to help its students beat the odds. Cincinnati pioneered the “community schools...
Read more > -
Cleveland Metropolitan School District: A Community Plan for School Transformation
In 2011, Cleveland’s schools were in crisis. Led by the mayor, a group of community organizations and district leaders created a plan to transform the...
Read more > -
D.C. Public Schools: Turning Around Schools in the Nation’s Capital
In less than a decade, D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) has transformed from a low-achieving, dysfunctional school district into the fastest-improving urban school system in the...
Read more >