Celebrating School Districts on the Rise

From Arkansas to Massachusetts, California to Ohio, districts across the country are making incredible progress in boosting student achievement and increasing teacher effectiveness. In Education First’s Districts Rising series, the stories of ten districts that are working to raise student achievement and prepare students for college and career are highlighted and celebrated. In case you missed it, here are a few of those stories we shared this month:

• Bolstered by a system that empowers them to take the lead on observations, educators in Texas’ Aldine Independent School District are bucking national trends by narrowing graduation rate gaps among students of color.

• In New Haven Public Schools in Connecticut, district leaders worked side-by-side with the teachers union to design and implement a new teacher evaluation system and teacher leadership opportunities.

• Tommy Chang, the new superintendent of Boston Public Schools, is taking steps to address equity gaps in the district by transforming adult learning and adding more curricular consistency.

• Cincinnati Public Schools pioneered the community schools model, which brings resources and services from the surrounding community into school buildings.

• Teachers in Nevada’s Washoe County School District have led the way on implementing the Common Core State Standards by organizing professional development and creating standards-aligned instructional materials.