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Knowledge Center

Elaine Farber Budish

(Re)Open Arms*: Planning for Back to School in Tulsa during COVID

*We know that hugging won’t be allowed during the pandemic, don’t worry! Thanks to generous philanthropic support, a team of UPD consultants has spent the past two months supporting the reopening planning team at Tulsa...
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Don’t Leave Data Use Behind During the COVID-19 Crisis

Last week, I presented on a virtual panel as part of the Carnegie Foundation Improvement Science in Education Summit using UPD’s Data Life-Cycle Framework. During the session, we heard from participants that there is a…
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Our schools are not failing – they’ve been abandoned.

We all know that money alone won’t fix our urban education systems, but we also know that without appropriate resources, we can’t make the significant changes in systems, practices, and opportunities that students need to…
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When Hope and Hard Work Are Not Enough

During a recent trip to two schools in one of the large, urban districts we are supporting to improve student outcomes, I was having a conversation with a district leader that was typical of many…
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Leveraging LEA Wisdom + Effective SEA Communication = Increased Likelihood of Implementation Success

Over the past three years, UPD has helped two state education agencies  (SEAs) develop and implement their Local Education Agency’s (LEA) performance management processes to support effective implementation of their Race to the Top initiatives….
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Leading Change in Education Reform Efforts

“A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.” —Lao Tzu Leading people through a process of change is…
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You Can’t Comply Your Way to Common Core Implementation

Forty-five states plus the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands have adopted the new Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The CCSS, developed by a state-led initiative, are intended to align instructional expectations across…
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