Blog
Learning never stops.
The UPD team is constantly looking for ways to learn more about our industry and, by extension, improve the results we achieve for our clients. Our blog is where we share our latest thinking.
Implementing Early Childhood (PDG B-5) State Plans
As states receiving Preschool Development Grant (PDG B-5) funds from the US Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) complete their needs assessments and strategic plans, they should already be thinking about implementation. Proposals for…
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Teacher Preparation Data Model on the Road
I love maps. Maps present all the different possibilities to get from one point to another and provide the opportunity to chart your own course. My laminated, multi-fold map was my favorite companion in the…
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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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From Post-Its to Pilot: The journey of the Teacher Preparation Data Project
We’ll begin this story in June of 2016, which marked the official start of the Teacher Preparation Data Project. Though even to get to this point, there were many early sources of inspiration, sketches on…
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Getting the Most Out of the Preschool Development Grant Opportunity
The new Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five (PDG B-5) put out by the US Department of Health and Human Services presents an exciting opportunity to get public sector planning right. The grant provides funds…
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Nowhere to turn(around)
I was invited to moderate a panel of turnaround experts at the Yale School of Management’s Education Leadership Conference on April 4th, and in prepping for the event I tried to think about what hasn’t been…
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Putting the “Drive” in “Data-Driven”
While Harvard Business Review’s latest article “Companies are Failing in Their Efforts to Become Data-Driven” focuses on investments in big data and artificial intelligence made by large corporations, we see the same issues at play…
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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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Strategies for Being Strategic
We were excited to see Graham Kenney’s Harvard Business Review article “Six Steps to Making Your Strategic Planning Strategic.” He hits on one of the common issues we see clients struggle with in their strategic…
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Data and Policies in Education
UPD is pleased to announce that Ana Quintana, Account Executive and seven-year veteran with the firm, has recently become a shareholder in the company. She leads UPD’s Ed-Fi and data system implementation practice which she…
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