Check this blog for our thoughts on timely topics and issues, and relevant resources that can inform your work right away. Send your comments, suggestions for future blogs and resources to us at info@education-first.com, and let us know what you think.
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Keeping Families Together
At Education First we are committed to equity: The belief that every student, regardless of background, deserves the resources and support they need to reach their potential. And we believe that the policies we work on like increasing equitable access to great teachers, creating more rigorous academic standards and assessments and understanding that learning is social and emotional can help us get...
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Chief Talent Officers Discuss Collaboration In Their Own Words
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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Looking More Closely at Gaps in College Attainment
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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Spoken Word Poetry as Medicine: A SEL Practice of Celebration and Identity for Indigenous and POC Youth
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...
Read more >Topic: Social and Emotional LearningFocus Area: Engaged Students -
Figuring Out What Works
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...
Read more >Topic: ESSAFocus Area: Effective Organizations and Investments -
Using SEL To Connect With Families
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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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 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...
Read more >Topic: Common Core, philFocus Area: Effective Organizations and InvestmentsService: Grantmaking Strategy and Effectiveness -
Parents Read to Their Kids. Why Not Do Math Together? New Project Looks to Promote Family Math — and Help Close the Achievement Gap
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...
Read more >Focus Area: Engaged Students -
New ESSA Tools for District Leaders
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...
Read more >Topic: ESSAFocus Area: Effective Organizations and Investments -
The U.S. Doesn’t Have Enough STEM Teachers to Prepare Students for Our High-Tech Economy. 4 Steps Toward Addressing That Shortage
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...
Read more >Topic: Educator Development, STEMFocus Area: Outstanding Educators