Education First Consulting

Our very own Kelly James and Brad Bernatek have contributed an insightful article to The Thomas B. Fordham Institute's annual Wonkathon. Their entry, "Everything, everywhere, all at once" solutions to chronic absenteeism, offers innovative strategies to tackle this critical issue in education by focusing on three key themes: ▪ Re-engaging Students: Addressing student engagement and sense of belonging in school ▪ Supporting Families: Investing in programs, tools and resources for asset-based family engagement ▪ Generating Timely Data: Integrating leading indicators of chronic absenteeism into data systems Read the article here: https://lnkd.in/dN_aaP8D and explore other entries in the Wonkathon. If their article resonates with you, consider voting for it as your favorite: - Via the online survey: https://lnkd.in/gHiTJtnd - On X by "liking" their post in the Wonkathon thread: https://lnkd.in/dV584M-H #Education #ChronicAbsenteeism #Wonkathon #VoteNow

Imagine a school system where decisions aren't made top-down but built together by the voices of students, parents, educators and the community. This is the transformative power of equitable stakeholder engagement, moving away from top-down models to inclusive collaboration. Discover the lessons we learned when we partnered with Alliance in creating a strategic plan that empowers historically excluded voices and builds a stronger school community. Read more in our latest blog post: https://lnkd.in/d9b25-M9 #StakeholderEngagement #CommunityCollaboration #EquityinEducation

Philanthropic organizations can find it extremely beneficial to partner with others, especially when they have similar interests. They join together as a funder collaborative—a cooperative structure that pools resources, shares insights and leverages the collective power and influence of the group. It’s a smart strategy for funders looking to find breakthroughs, share risk and create change at scale. To help more funders work together successfully, we produced this unique guide. Unlike other resources, it draws on more than 15 years of direct experience designing, leading and studying funder collaboratives. We have facilitated more than 15 education-specific collaboratives and engaged more than 90 foundations to bring new attention, resources and solutions to challenges as diverse as bilingual education, implementation of learning standards, high-quality assessment, educator development and postsecondary access. "Surviving to Thriving: Funder Collaboratives that Matter" is available now! #philanthropy #funders #education #collectiveimpact #foundation

Want to find out how broadening your definitions of school quality and student success can help strengthen your district? Apply to join Education First’s School Quality and Student Success Learning Lab, where you will receive tailored coaching and supports to expand your definitions of school quality and student success to drive school improvement. Applications close July 29. Learn more here: https://bit.ly/4bj9EoU #SchoolQuality #StudentSuccess #EducationalLeadership #ApplyNow

Our teachers are craving change… they need it. The traditional one-teacher, one-classroom model is outdated, especially for marginalized students. Education First advocates for innovative approaches to recruiting, training, staffing, and supporting teachers to boost retention and well-being while providing engaging experiences for students. One of these innovative approaches is a paid teacher residency program. LEAs and EPPs can partner to design and implement paid teacher residency programs, which recruit and retain diverse teachers and reduce barriers like financial strain. Our latest newsletter shares a toolkit, developed in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, that offers clear guidance for collaboration and program development. #TeacherRetention #TeacherDevelopment #StrategicStaffing #EducationLeadership

*New Toolkit Alert* Innovative staffing, training, and support methods are emerging to improve teacher diversity, retention, and wellbeing. One promising solution is paid teacher residency programs. These programs, developed through partnerships between local education agencies (LEAs) and educator preparation programs (EPPs), offer a year-long, paid teaching experience that produces high-quality educators and helps recruit and retain teachers of color. Education First, with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, created a toolkit to assist LEAs and EPPs in designing, implementing, and improving their residency models. This resource provides valuable recommendations and steps for each program stage, ensuring effective collaboration and alignment with program goals and stakeholder needs. LEAs, EPPs, policymakers, funders, nonprofits, and technical assistance providers will find this toolkit invaluable. https://lnkd.in/guAUnZWR #Education #Teaching #TeacherDiversity #ProfessionalDevelopment #EdChat #EdLeaders #InnovationInEducation

Want to find out how broadening your definitions of school quality and student success can help strengthen your district? Apply to join Education First’s School Quality and Student Success Learning Lab, where you will receive tailored coaching and support to expand your definitions of school quality and student success to drive school improvement. Applications close on July 24. Learn more here: https://bit.ly/4bj9EoU #StudentSuccess #Education #LearningLab

This week several of our team members are at the Council of Chief State School Officers National Conference on Student Assessment. They are presenting on several topics, including a session tomorrow called: Pillars of Accountability: Perspectives on the Federal Framework of Accountability and Where We Go Next. If you are attending, we would love to see you there! #NCSA2024 #StatesLeading

After a fifteen-year storied career as a partner and owner at Education First, one of the nation’s top education firms, Susan R. Bodary, will retire at the end of June. Bodary will become Education First’s inaugural Partner Emeritus. ❤️ Read the full release here: https://lnkd.in/e8wuwQPH #edleader #retirement

Say hello to our new team members! Please join us in welcoming Brad B. and Spencer Sherman to the Education First team. Each brings a wealth of knowledge in improving student and educator outcomes, and we look forward to achieving great things together. #newemployee #welcometotheteam #onboarding #education #talent #people