In our work with organizations in the Education sector, stakeholders almost always describe their need for more "data".  However, as they expound on their challenges, it becomes clear that their interest is not in obtaining more data.  In fact, they're often swimming in data.  What schools truly want and need is more information.   

A June 4th article in the New York Times highlights a new charter school in New York City which is purposefully understaffed.  The philosophy behind The Equity Project is simple, "teacher quality is the most important factor in acheiving educational equity for low income students."

This past week, Education Secretary Duncan made some remarks to the Education Writers Association in which he emphasized, among other things, the need for understanding our educational priorities.  We cannot get lost among the trees of strategies and metrics before we define the forest.  As we as a nation undergo this enormous effort to revitalize our education system, we must first agree on our common outcomes.  For what purpose does our public education system exist?  To prepare students for careers?  To prepare them for citizenship?  To prepare them for college? There are many different perspectives.

A New Partnership to Measure Impact: Learning Point Associates and Mission Measurement are two organizations paying close attention to the types of assistance states will need in order to identify metrics that will demonstrate the appropriate return on investment to both their funders and their community. It is clear that there must also be complementary tools and resources to guide state and local decision makers as they navigate this critical work of implementing programs that both stimulate economic conditions and move the education system closer to excellence for all students.

Learning Point Associates and Mission Measurement interviewed more than 50 education leaders to determine how they are defining successful implementation of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds. We explored what these leaders expect in terms of the impact of this funding on the educational system. In response to our findings, we offer considerations for building metrics to monitor success and impact. Read the full report.

In a recent interview with TIME magazine, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan touched on what may be the most difficult piece of the education puzzle, getting the best teachers in the classroom.  In particular, he question the barrier presented by the standards of "certified" and "qualified", raising the point that ultimately student achievement is all that matters.

According to a report published this month by the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future, as many as a third of the nation’s 3.2 million teachers could retire in the next four years.  Today’s New York Times notes that “the teaching career is collapsing at both ends”, as one of every three new teachers leaves the profession within five years.  While the current economic downtown may attract new college graduates and individuals from other fields, an important education metric going forward is teacher retention and average age. -Aneesa Arshad  

No longer just an interest, there is now a demand for accountability and a focus on tangible, measurable results that is taking root in the private philanthropic market place. Grantmakers for Education recently published their first ever benchmarking report on education philanthropy in the US. One of the key finding in the report indicates that private funders have adopted a much more focused approach and have become much clearer about the outcomes they aim to accomplish and the tangible results that they desire to see.

A recent New York Times article highlights an increasingly popular way of reporting academic performance, standards-based report cards.  Rather than the congenital A, B, C, D, and F grades (given by subject in the aggregate), students are assessed on their performance on specific skills against appropriate grade-level expectations.

Education.  Math and science.  K-12.  All are common targets of corporate philanthropy.  So, in a world where corporations want to differentiate themselves through social impact, why do so many resort to the same traditional strategies? National Instruments (NI) is bucking the trend.  They have teamed up to deliver the Lego League World Festival, a team competition of student-designed Lego robots.  Each team has an NI mentor (boosting employee engagement) and uses NI products and software (building awareness among future decision-makers).