Education Reform

This practice group works to help teachers, school and district leaders, and policymakers stay on top of current trends reshaping the financing and delivery of kindergarten through Grade 12 education across the nation. Our goal is to help leaders better understand, implement, and evaluate practices that best meet the needs of their school districts, students, and teachers. Our work is supported by a national advisory group. We also produce policy research reports, maintain a clearinghouse, and identify promising practices through collaboration with leading scholars, universities, and other organizations.

We offer specialized services and supports, including research, consulting, technical assistance, and training.

Contact: Cheryl Hayes

Voices from the Field: Creating a Knowledge-Driven Charter School in Washington DC, by Tovah Gottesman, The Finance Project Schools are increasingly using data to guide decision-making, increase student achievement for all, and close learning gaps.  As principals and teachers become more adept at converting the data into workable information, transforming that information into knowledge remains a big hurdle for many schools.  In short, schools need to be careful of becoming "data-rich but information poor."  In this first installment of "Voices from the Field."  Tovah Gottesman features an independent charter school leveraging their data to improve instructional and institutional practice.   Moving beyond Brick and Mortar: Creating a Technology Integration Plan for Charters, by Tovah Gottesman and Kelsey Boivin, The Finance Project Technology permeates our daily lives...and these devices and software are revolutionizing how students are taught in schools and homes.  As educators, it is impossible to avoid engaging with the digital age.  Today's children are adept users of technology, and many are more technologically literate than their parents and teachers.  In this blog entry, learn more about how to integrate technology into your charter school.  Network of Independent Charter Schools The Network of Independent Charter Schools is designed to support teachers, administrators and trustees develop best practices and collaborate with one another and to help independent "mom and pop" charter schools succeed.  Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, it delivers a comprehensive and integrated array of services and resources--free of charge--to help improve the capacity of teachers, administrators and trustees at independent charter schools.  The Finance Project helps develop content for the Network of Independent Charter Schools website in the areas of charter school management, financing and governance.                                                              Online Hotline               BLOG Sustaining Community Revitalization: A Tool for Preparing Budgets for Promise Neighborhoods. The following fiscal mapping tool will help leaders identify funding resources in their communities to help build a stable base of support for their work. Sustaining Community Revitalization: A Tool for Mapping Funds for Promise Neighborhood Initiatives. The following cost development tool lays out a step-by-step approach to calculating those fiscal needs. The associated worksheets help Promise Neighborhood leaders to identify and understand their costs on a year-by-year basis--both by type of solution (e.g., education programs, family and community supports, etc.) and by the overarching cost categories carried by the grantee. Budget Worksheets for Promise Neighborhood Initiatives. The following worksheets help Promise Neighborhood leaders to identify and understand their costs on a year-to-year basis--both by the type of solution (e.g., education programs, family and community supports, etc.) and by the overarching cost categories carried by the grantee.  The associated cost development tool lays out a step-by-step approach to calculating those fiscal needs. LEARNING TO READ: A Guide to Federal Funding for Grade-Level Reading Proficiency. A first of its kind, this guide helps state and local officials, leaders of community-based and national organizations, school leaders, and private investors find funding to strengthen and sustain grade-level reading programs and services for children from birth through third grade. It identifies more than 100 federal funding sources that can be used to address the root causes of failing to read, to help fund remediation strategies, and to build cohesive infrastructure and systems necessary to effectively train and guide professionals. It also offers users “best bet” funding sources, on-the-ground examples and allows users to search by funding purpose, eligibility and special populations.

Explore our Professional Development in Education Clearinghouse. Keep abreast of current trends in developing, financing, and sustaining quality professional development programs with our clearinghouse, an essential tool for teachers and school administrators.

Explore our publications on:

• Professional development for teachers and principals
• Education financing
• Education reform

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