Education First Consulting

AI in education shouldn’t be just another initiative—it should be a force for meaningful transformation. That’s why we developed 𝐀𝐈 𝐱 𝐂𝐨𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, a structured, human-centered approach that helps school systems shift from uncertainty about AI to using it to solve pressing challenges and achieve goals. Our AI x Coherence Academy brings together 11 school districts and CMOs to ensure AI enhances teaching and learning rather than disrupts or detracts from it. While this first Academy focuses on districts and CMOs, our approach is relevant across the 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦. 📩 Read our 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 to learn how to support AI strategies and implementation in your organization. #AIinEducation #LearningWithAI #EducationLeadership

🚨𝐖𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: “𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝”—an analyses and resources on federal education actions. Our goal is to help philanthropies, nonprofits, state and local education agencies and others make sense of these changes and develop strategies for navigating this environment. To accompany our own analyses and resources about federal education policy under the Trump Administration, we’ve created this 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐛 curating some of the best articles and resources on the Administration’s actions. We have prioritized open-access resources, primary sources and non-partisan analyses and we will continue updating as policies evolve. The resources include analyses of key Executive Orders as well as more detailed resources for six policy areas we’ve identified as the administration’s education priorities, such federal funding cuts and rollbacks of DEI initiatives. 𝐖𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧. 💡Check out our analysis and Resource Hub 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆: 🔗https://lnkd.in/eZJcCAPx

📢 In case you missed it, we convened nearly 300 education leaders, measurement experts, researchers, policymakers and advocates at the National Forum on the Future of Assessment and Accountability. We envisioned this as an opportunity to bridge divides, engage in dialogue across perspectives and learn from efforts trying to improve how we assess learning and hold ourselves and systems accountable for improvement. 📖 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐠 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐮𝐦 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eahsUfMs #bridgethedivide #measuringwhatmatters #assessments

𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬—a time-bound initiative tackling one of the most pressing challenges in education: ensuring that all young people can successfully transition from high school to fulfilling careers. Young people want financial security, purpose, and impact. They recognize that postsecondary education—degrees, credentials, and skills training—is key. Yet, the pathways from high school to careers are often 𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫, 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐨𝐫 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠. As a result, too many students are left behind. The Commission—co-chaired by Melissa Connelly (OneGoal) and Paul Herdman (Rodel), and facilitated by Education First—brings together students, recent graduates, and 22 leaders from across education, research, and policy. Together, we’ll clarify the 𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 that help students: ✅ Explore their aptitudes & career goals ✅ Access advising, dual enrollment, and career-connected learning ✅ Build networks, social capital & a sense of belonging By November 2025, the Commission will deliver an 𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚-𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 to inform action and investment—laying the foundation for the 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐝, incubated by StriveTogether with support from the Gates Foundation. We’re not starting from scratch. We’re building on the work of leaders like 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐂𝐓𝐄, 𝐉𝐅𝐅, 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩, 𝐂𝐂𝐑𝐂, and more. And, we’re ensuring 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞 through our partnership with Big Picture Learning. We will be sharing updates throughout the year. Together, we can ensure every young person has a clear, purposeful path forward. ➡️Read more about the Commission here: https://lnkd.in/eDqgWc6z #PurposefulPathways #Education #CareerReadiness #FutureofWork #EdEquity

The first month of the Trump Administration has been a time of unprecedented change in federal education policy. We are launching a new series of analyses and resources to help organizations identify important facts within the flood of policy announcements. This new series, 𝑭𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑭𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒅, will help education organizations make sense of the new education policy environment. Part 1 of our series helps education organizations develop strategies for responding to federal policy shifts. Read the analysis on our website: https://lnkd.in/eZJcCAPx. We will be updating that webpage to keep pace with changing events and provide additional resources. Some key takeaways from Part 1 of our analysis:  • Organizations seeking to minimize 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤 may end up "𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠” with non-legal orders. A holistic risk assessment should also include a 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 “𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤”: the harm to an organization’s mission resulting from overcompliance.  • While the Trump Administration appears to be expanding the reach of its agencies, it is paradoxically reducing the agencies’ capacity. This tension will 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 that require administrative action.  • In response to the Administration’s anti-DEI efforts, many organizations are changing their words but not their actions–an approach we call “𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐞𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐲.” This approach has tradeoffs that should be considered relative to the alternatives.

In just 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬, 𝟏𝟑𝟐 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬 and nearly 𝟑𝟎𝟎 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐬 came together across 𝟒𝟔 𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 with 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥—to develop a national roadmap for transforming systems of assessment and accountability. Last week, we hosted the 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐮𝐦 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 & 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 in Dallas, TX—a first for us. State leaders, policymakers, advocates, philanthropic partners, vendors and more came together to discuss the current state and future of assessments and accountability systems. We identified where we are aligned and where we differ, what changes need to happen and where we need to stay the course. We all agreed that there is progress to be made to bridge the divide. As we reflect on the sessions, conversations and learnings, we are left…𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝. There is much to digest and we will be disseminating learnings in the coming weeks.📊 In the meantime, we invite you to explore our brand-new 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 & 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐇𝐮𝐛 🔗 (https://lnkd.in/ebs3WMF7), filled with case studies, toolkits, videos, and more—including resources on school conditions. Take advantage of these valuable tools and stay tuned for more learnings from the Forum in the weeks ahead! #bridgethedivide #MeasuringWhatMatters #InnovationInEducation #StudentAssessment

While 2025 is well underway, we’re taking a moment to reflect on the progress and challenges in education over the past year. Despite efforts to close achievement gaps, student learning setbacks remain a pressing issue. At the same time, states and school systems have been working to build teacher capacity and provide real resources for instructional support. Our latest newsletter explores the lessons from 2024 and how we can move forward together in 2025. 📩 Read more in our newsletter below. #EducationFirst #EdLeadership #StudentSuccess

📣 Here is what it looks like when nearly 𝟑𝟎𝟎 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐬 from around the nation join together to discuss the future of assessment and accountability. Yesterday, we kicked off our 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕-𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐮𝐦 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 & 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 in Dallas, TX. 🎯 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥: to develop a national roadmap for transforming systems of assessment and accountability. 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐧𝐞 was kicked off by our very own Jennifer Vranek, followed by vignettes from a variety of leaders from different states, institutions, foundations and more–each bringing their own perspective and posture on our topics. These presentations outlined key principles, design elements and values that must be in place as part of a future vision. 💡 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐞. While we all have differing opinions, we are encouraged at the fact that there is 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭. For 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬, we will be showing up, engaging, debating and listening. #bridgethedivide #futureofeducation #k12

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐀𝐈 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒗𝒆 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐝𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬? That’s exactly what we tackled during our first 𝐀𝐈 𝐱 𝐂𝐨𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐀𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 this week, where 𝟏𝟏 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐌𝐎𝐬 explored how 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐀𝐈 can coherently and meaningfully support teaching and learning across school systems. We left Atlanta incredibly energized by the conversations that showed how transformative AI can be when grounded in real needs. As one participant said, “𝐼 𝑢𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝐴𝐼 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔... 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝐼 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝑖𝑡’𝑠 𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑢𝑙!” 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭? • 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐬, 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: We zeroed in on actual district needs—like reducing teacher workload, improving instructional materials and measuring student learning more effectively—not on whatever new and shiny AI platform popped up this week. • 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐕𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞: Cross-functional teams (yes, teachers and tech directors!) collaborated to design AI use cases that are both practical and equitable. • 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: We used our AI x Coherence Framework to ensure that AI strategies align with existing priorities and truly benefit students and staff. 𝐀 𝐡𝐮𝐠𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭-𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝-𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 for their enthusiasm and commitment to leveraging AI with coherence: Boston Public Schools DSST Public Schools Duval County Public Schools Hamilton County Public Schools Hawaii State Department of Education Newburgh Enlarged City School District Quincy School District Salem-Keizer Public Schools United Charter High Schools Wichita Public Schools - USD259 Ypsilanti Community Schools And a special thank you to our guest speakers, Perpetual Baffour, Dave Hersh and Katie Boody Adorno, for sharing your insights with our Academy! We can’t wait to see these use cases in action and share what we learn. For more information about our AI x Coherence Academy: https://lnkd.in/ebYsgKUF #education #AI #innovation #teachers #learning #leadership #edtech #coherence #equity #schoolleadership

Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAPs) in teaching have emerged as a promising pathway to address PK12 educator labor shortages, offering a high-quality, rigorous pathway into a profession through an “earn and learn” model. 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐲 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐀 𝐓𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐋𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐬 (𝐑𝐀𝐏𝐬) 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐊𝟏𝟐 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐚 equips school districts, county offices of education, teacher preparation programs, labor unions and other interested partners with the tools, resources and guidance necessary to develop RAPs in teaching in California. Key components include guiding principles for program design and quality, practical tools and resources, case studies and a glossary of essential terms. By leveraging this toolkit, stakeholders can create RAPs in teaching that align with California’s existing teacher preparation pathways and contribute to a diverse and effective education workforce. Access the full toolkit here: https://lnkd.in/exvb7v4B #TeacherApprenticeships #RegisteredApprenticeship #PK12Education