School Leadership

The Urban Special Education Leadership Collaborative is a network of special and general education leaders working together to improve outcomes for students with disabilities in the nation’s urban schools. The Collaborative provides opportunities for these professionals to share research, information, and ideas about what works and why in urban school districts. The Collaborative accomplishes its leadership development mission by providing training, personalized technical assistance, policy sharing, and distance-learning opportunities.

EDC, together with Academy for Educational Development, provides technical assistance at the regional level to Mali’s Ministry of Education. This technical expertise, particularly in the areas of data analysis and financial accounting, uses education data for sound activity-planning and resource-allocation decisions.

dot-EDU was an information and communication technology (ICT) intervention mechanism for USAID Missions seeking to improve education systems in their respective countries. dot-EDU sought to assist developing countries in strengthening learning systems that improve quality, expand access, and enhance equity through carefully planned applications of digital and broadcast technologies. The dot-EDU mission had two foci. First, dot-EDU provided training and technical assistance to support USAID Missions in developing and implementing technology-assisted applications.

Together with the National Cooperative Business Association, EDC contributes to Ghana’s efforts to develop stronger, more effective, and sustainable democratic governance through a combination of technical assistance and training to local government structures, and increased community advocacy for contribution to quality education. EDC’s primary work involves mobilizing and organizing community participation in education.

Through the Education Quality for All (EQUALL) project, EDC and our partner organizations implement activities designed to strengthen the quality and expand the coverage of complementary education in Ghana, and to create stronger linkages between nonformal and formal basic education programs. This effort will result in increased access to basic education for children—especially girls—who have not had the opportunity for schooling due to social, occupational, cultural, or other reasons; and in increased learning outcomes among participating children.

The National Dropout Prevention Center for Students with Disabilities (NDPC-SD) supports the national implementation of provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to provide successful school outcomes for students with disabilities. NDPC-SD serves state and local education agencies, policymakers, researchers, school administrators, teachers, other practitioners, and parents. The Center uses evidence-based research to support state education agencies in developing model dropout prevention programs within their local school districts.

This National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded research project examined teacher retention, particularly of science and mathematics teachers within the Boston Public Schools (BPS), by addressing these research questions: (1) What are the hard and soft costs to schools and to the district of having teachers come and go? (2) What explains why some schools tend to retain their teachers while other schools are less able to do so? and (3) What can the district and BPS do to reduce teacher turnover? CSE researchers gathered cost data at the district level.

The New England Comprehensive Center (NECC) is one of 16 regional comprehensive centers that are federally funded to implement the mandates of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). The NECC engages state education leaders in using research and best practice to meet the goals of NCLB. Our purpose is to design and deliver technical assistance services that meet education leaders’ priority needs, further the key initiatives of the U.S. Department of Education, and have the greatest potential for building states’ capacities to help districts and schools improve.

The New York Comprehensive Center (NYCC) is one of 16 regional comprehensive centers that are federally funded to implement the mandates of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). In doing so, NYCC engages the New York State Education Department in using research-based findings and rigorous evidence. The Center provides technical assistance services to meet the Department’s priority needs and further the key initiatives of the US Department of Education. Additionally, the NYCC works with the State on emerging needs based on new statutes and policy mandates.

Working with the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) Office of Progressive Support and Intervention, EDC supports middle and high schools identified as “in need of corrective action” (i.e., they have not met Adequate Yearly Progress standards for three years). EDC Turnaround Facilitators work on-site in assigned schools two days a week, providing leadership and teacher development aimed at instructional improvement and student achievement. Project staff also give RIDE staff feedback and recommendations to improve services to districts and schools.