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ERS has partnered with a number of districts on implementing weighted student funding (WSF), which is also known as fair student funding or student-based budgeting. This presentation...
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ERS final report summarizing research on the Syracuse City School District (SCSD) and the participative community “work-out” process that was held in response to research results. The...
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Vidalia City Schools is one shining example of a district that strategically leverages its people, time, and money in the face of low funding levels and has seen steady growth in...
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Education Resource Strategies recently hosted a webinar on how to play the budget trade-off game called School Budget Hold'em. The game lets district leaders, and anyone involved in the...
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School districts have the responsibility to design a compensation structure that maximizes their ability to meet teacher recruitment and retention goals within the context of long-term...
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Ten years ago, D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) had 65,000 students. Today it has fewer than 45,000. The severe enrollment decline was a wake-up call for the district. Starting in 2007, DCPS...
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The School Funding System worksheet series includes analysis sheets on the spending variation per pupil and worksheets with step-by-step instructions to help you calculate and measure...
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The School Funding System worksheet series includes analysis sheets on the spending variation per pupil and worksheets with step-by-step instructions to help you calculate and measure...
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Nationwide, districts and states seek to place more accountability for student performance with principals and teachers at the school level. We have found that schools implementing...
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The national focus on creating “standards based” schools and “accountability” is pushing school districts and schools to define their goals and priorities for student learning more...
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This New American Schools District Issues Brief provides an overview of three challenges related to the use and organization of resources as districts move to create higher performing...
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In the fall of 2007, Education Resource Strategies (ERS) was invited by Philadelphia’s School Reform Commission to conduct a Resource Use Analysis for the School District of Philadelphia...
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The Annenberg Institute for School Reform’s Voices in Urban Education publication, produced in partnership with ERS, grew from the ERS-convened Fair Student Funding Summit in March 2010....
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In 2006, Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District made a bold move. It began to strategically staff a subset of its lowest-performing schools with its district’s best principals. Five years...
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Despite success turning around many of its lowest-performing schools, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District found that nine of its schools were still struggling. To improve these...
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Over the past decade, D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) has faced severe enrollment decline–from 65,000 students to 45,000. As a result, the district took a hard look at their...
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ERS spoke with five leaders from our partner districts to explore what transformation really looks like in practice. The videos explore how each of the seven strategies from our School...
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Hear from:
Sam Franklin, Executive Director of the Office of Teacher Effectiveness, Pittsburgh Public Schools
Brian Pick, Deputy Chief Academic Officer, D.C. Public Schools
Alyssa...
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In 2008, the U-46 School District in Illinois faced a budget deficit of $45 million. Instead of deciding to do less with limited funds, the district worked with the school board and...
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By transforming its central office from a compliance watchdog to a service and strategic partner, Denver Public Schools (DPS) was able to leverage data, technology, and training to...
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Our new video illustrates why now is the time to take bold action to transform our school systems. Please share it and join the movement of district leaders dedicated to transforming...
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This full report of Baltimore Public Schools (City Schools) explores the implementation process and results of a fair student funding system.
Fair Student Funding in Baltimore City (PDF)
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After examining Baltimore City Public Schools' implementation of fair student funding and accompanying reforms, ERS shares the extent to which City Schools met the objectives and...
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To improve student performance, Denver Public Schools (DPS) took an innovative look at how they could support individual school efforts to restructure and align their resources – people,...
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In January 2012, ERS delivered a public presentation to the Denver Public Schools Board of Education which summarized the results and recommendations stemming from of our year-long...
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School Budget Hold'em is more than a game, it’s an interactive exploration of the thoughtful trade-offs school administrators have to make in these challenging budget times.
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Tough times provide school districts with the opportunity to make big changes, helping alleviate the budget pressure in the short term and create a new foundation that will provide the...
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View videos from ERS’ Sustaining Turnaround at Scale Summit held in October 2011. Panelists from the ERS Summit share some thoughts on successful turnaround. Panelists on the closing...
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After one year of in-depth resource analysis, ERS released a report on Duval County Public Schools (DCPS), Realigning Resources for District Success. The report provides a blueprint for...
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Facing turbulent economic times, school districts instinctively fight to maintain their head above water, trying to minimize the damage being done. What if instead districts and state...
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