Blog

In our 3-part blog series, the Institute is breaking down the latest research report on Growth Metrics for K-12 Human Capital Management. In Part 1, we broke down the key performance indicators for measuring recruiting and hiring.

Today’s school and district leaders are managing school districts in which the needs of an increasingly diverse student population are constantly evolving—and the supply of educators is dwindling. Put simply, these leaders need to serve more student needs with fewer of the key talent resources that make high-quality education possible.

In an unprecedented maneuver, ESSA brought data to the forefront of its equity-focused mission. Specific reporting rules require education agencies at every level to collect and use more data ― data that will likely expose education inequities in funding as well as access to rigorous curriculum and effective teachers. ESSA outlines clear requirements targeting statewide accountability systems that address progress gaps for groups of low-performing students.

How well are school systems in America measuring up to ESSA’s definition of professional development? Is professional learning “data-driven” and “classroom-focused”? That question is at the heart of Bridging the Gap, a series of reports from the Frontline Research & Learning Institute. Bridging the Gap looks at anonymized data from the professional development experiences of educators across the country and asks, “How close are we to this ideal?”