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Strategy Overview
The foundation’s strategy weaves together three interdependent and mutually
supportive strands, implementing them simultaneously, though to different
degrees at different times:
District Engagement. District leaders need time and resources to
tackle critical challenges to student achievement. The foundation provides
opportunities for its partner districts to work in tandem with experts in
relevant fields to design solutions for effective teaching and learning. Our
intent is that this collaborative and multi-disciplinary approach will lead
not only to practical tools and approaches, but also to a cultural shift that
enables districts to diagnose problems transparently, learn collectively and
innovate continually.
Read more about the methodology of this component of the foundation’s
strategy in Our Approach to Engaging with Districts.
Learning Network. We believe the knowledge generated through the
foundation’s engagements with partner districts can build a base of practical
knowledge for district leaders across the country. Using communications
technology and convening, the foundation will disseminate the lessons from our
engagements beyond those participating districts, so that increasing numbers
of our 5,000 target leaders may also benefit from thinking systemically, solving
problems creatively and learning alongside others how to accelerate student
achievement.
Marketplace Alignment. Our research and development work in districts
and the dissemination of knowledge through a learning network are not ultimately
sustainable without broader changes to the contexts in which districts and states
operate. Therefore, we will partner with others to inform public policy and
increase incentives in the education marketplace for developers of innovative
products and services that support district leaders in achieving significant
gains in student achievement.
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