Launch Years Initiative Resource Kit

OnRamps

Primary audiences: K–12 mathematics, K–12 administration, K–12 counseling, higher education mathematics

OnRamps, launched in 2011, offers education opportunities for high school mathematics students and teachers through dual enrollment courses. Students are enrolled concurrently in an in-person high school course and a distance college course. College courses offered include algebra, precalculus, and statistics.

In August 2020, OnRamps announced a partnership with the state of Texas’s education department, the Texas Education Agency (TEA), to provide free access to a limited number of modules to Texas middle school and high school educators. A first-time professional development for teachers is 10 full days in summer.

• Resource type: Example
• Source: Office of Strategy and Policy, The University of Texas at Austin

T-STEM: Texas Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics initiative

Primary Audiences: K–12 mathematics, K–12 administration, K–12 counseling, K–12 policy

The Texas Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (T-STEM) initiative is an open-enrollment program that engages students in a rigorous STEM curriculum, preparing them for future careers. Addressing this rising demand, the T-STEM initiative seeks to increase the number of Texas students who study and enter STEM fields. The website provides planning and implementation tools that can be used in a number of settings.

T-STEM is a project of the Texas Education Agency’s Division of College, Career, and Military Preparation (CCMP), which works to ensure that all Texas high school students can access pathways to career and college.

• Resource Type: Tool
• Source: Division of College, Career, and Military Preparation (CCMP), Texas Education Agency

Texas STEM Education Toolkit

Primary Audiences: K–12 mathematics, K–12 administration, K–12 counseling, K–12 policy

The Texas STEM Education Toolkit is a set of resources developed by the Texas Education Agency to support Texas school districts seeking to develop a local K–12 STEM education program.

The Texas STEM Education Toolkit is a project of the Texas Education Agency’s Division of College, Career, and Military Preparation (CCMP), which works to ensure that all Texas high school students can access pathways to career and college.

• Resource type: Tool
• Source: Division of College, Career, and Military Preparation (CCMP), Texas Education Agency

Catalyzing Change

Primary Audiences: K–12 mathematics, K–12 administration, K–12 policy

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)’s Catalyzing Change series provides evidence-based guidance on policies and practices that support mathematics learning. The series includes volumes on teaching mathematics at the early childhood and elementary, middle school, and high school levels that provide recommendations for creating structures and implementing instruction, identifying essential concepts in high school mathematics, organizing mathematics pathways, and planning next steps.

NCTM provides webinars and other learning opportunities around the Catalyzing Change series, and it is often used in professional learning communities (PLCs).

• Resource type: Informational
• Source: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

P-TECH Tools and Resources

Primary Audiences: K–12 mathematics, K–12 administration, K–12 counseling, higher education mathematics, business/workforce

The P-TECH 9–14 School Model, originally known as Pathways in Technology Early College High School, is an education initiative that aims to enable students to earn a high school diploma and an industry-recognized associate degree, while acquiring work experience in the field. P-TECH is STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) focused, and the program operates in more than 20 countries worldwide.

P-TECH students participate in high school and college coursework simultaneously and gain experience in industry through guided workforce development. Students earn a high school diploma and an associate’s degree. Although the P-TECH curriculum is specific to computer technology, data science, and design, the P-TECH model can be a useful example for other content areas. 

The P-TECH website provides tools for aligning high school, college, and workplace knowledge and case studies that demonstrate how to mentor and support students throughout the experience.

• Resource type: Tool
• Source: The P-TECH 9–14 School Model is an education reform initiative created by IBM.

Open P-Tech

Primary Audiences: K–12 mathematics, K–12 administration, K–12 counseling, higher education mathematics, business/workforce

P-TECH and the open education resource (OER) version, Open P-TECH, is STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) focused, and the program operates in more than 20 countries worldwide.

P-TECH students participate in high school and college coursework simultaneously and gain experience in industry through guided workforce development. Students earn a high school diploma and an associate’s degree. Although the P-TECH curriculum is specific to computer technology, data science, and design, the P-TECH model can be a useful example for other content areas.

The P-TECH website provides tools for aligning high school, college, and workplace knowledge and case studies that demonstrate how to mentor and support students throughout the experience.

• Resource type: Tool
• Source: Open P-TECH is an education reform initiative created by IBM

High School Math Beta by Mathematics Vision Project

Primary Audiences: K–12 mathematics, K–12 administration

The Open Up Resources collaborative offers open-access education resources in mathematics and ELA: English Language Arts.

The Mathematics Vision Project has authored a three-year high school mathematics curriculum available in both a traditional pathway format and an integrated pathway format. Each pathway is structured with lesson design that gives students ownership of their learning and connects student mathematics learning to real-world contexts.

• Resource type: Tool
• Source: Authored by MVP: Mathematics Vision Project; Hosted by Open Up Resources

Illustrative Mathematics K–12 Math

Primary Audiences: K–12 mathematics, K–12 administration, K–12 counseling

Illustrative Mathematics, launched in 2011 at the University of Arizona, and operating as an independent nonprofit since 2013, offers grades K–12 curriculum, resources, and professional learning for educators as well as the online IM Community Hub with additional IM-developed resources and discussion forums. 

The Illustrative Mathematics blog features substantive posts by mathematics educators on mathematics content and pedagogy.

• Resource type: Tool
• Source: Illustrative Mathematics

Math Pathways: The Way Forward [Report]

Primary Audiences: K–12 mathematics, K–12 administration, K–12 counseling

Math Pathways: The Way Forward (2019) is a 36-page report on mathematics pathways that lead to postsecondary programs of study. Available in-browser or as a downloadable pdf, the report includes case studies with detailed information on how schools have taken action to address inequities in access to an excellent education.

The report includes an extensive appendix with descriptions of researched programs and endnotes citing more than 100 references.

• Resource type: Informational (2019)
• Source: Center for American Progress

NTN: New Tech Network

Primary Audiences: K–12 mathematics, K–12 administration, K–12 counseling, business/workforce

The New Tech Network is a national nonprofit design partner for comprehensive school change using project-based and problem-based strategies to teach students in interdisciplinary school settings. The New Tech Network works in more than 30 states.

• Resource type: Example (2020)
• Source: New Tech Network

Math Placement Policy and Guidelines (SB359), Escondido Union High School District, Escondido, California

Primary Audiences: K–12 mathematics, K–12 administration, K–12 counseling, K–12 policy

The Escondido Union High School District implemented a nontraditional set of mathematics pathways designed to eliminate tracking.

Under the placement policy and protocols adopted, all freshman students take Math 1, and all sophomore students take Math 2. In these courses, they learn algebra and geometry. Students then select a data science, statistics, or calculus-leaning pathway for higher-level courses.

The website provides the placement policy and placement protocol as well as links to information about the courses. This is an example of innovation in content and policy and of effective communication with the community.

• Resource type: Example
• Source: Education Services Department, Escondido Union High School District, Escondido, California

Agile Mind 6–12 Mathematics Curriculum

Primary Audiences: K–12 mathematics, K–12 administration

Since 2001, Agile Mind has collaborated with the Dana Center to develop the highest-quality teaching and learning resources in middle and high school mathematics. They encompass core math programs, supplemental supports, and related professional learning for educators from grade 6 through AP Calculus and Statistics.

• Resource type: Tool
• Source: The Charles A Dana Center and Agile Mind

UTeach professional development blended learning courses

Primary Audiences: K–12 mathematics, K–12 administration, higher education mathematics, higher education administration

UTeach professional development offers courses for educators on effective remote learning, with resources and strategies to deliver effective blended learning, defined as virtual (online) learning activities delivered through teacher-led instruction. The techniques presented in the courses can be applied to improve any mathematics pathway course or sequence of courses.

Participants in the Foundations of Blended Learning Course explore what blended learning classrooms look like, review tools and techniques, create a blended classroom management plan, and observe blended classrooms in action.

Participants in the Advanced Blended Learning Course focus on applying the Texas Teacher Evaluation and Support System (T-TESS) rubric, and using the International Society for Technology in Education Standards for Educators.

• Resource type: Tool
• Source: UTeach Professional Development, College of Natural Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin

UTeach professional development inquiry-based learning series

Primary Audience: K–12 mathematics, K–12 administration, higher education mathematics, higher education administration

UTeach professional development offers a course series on inquiry-based learning, designed to help preservice and in-service teachers develop or deepen their understanding of inquiry-based teaching and learning strategies that help math and science students construct new knowledge. Series topics include Meeting the Needs of Diverse Learners, Tools for Managing Classrooms in the Digital Age, Engaging Students with Mobile Technology, Mentoring Math and Science Teachers, Teaching Algebra Through Inquiry, and Makerspace in the Classroom.

• Resource type: Tool
• Source: UTeach Professional Development, College of Natural Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin

Texas Instruments Building Concepts in Mathematics

Primary Audience: K–12 mathematics

Texas Instruments Building Concepts in Mathematics resources and webinars are available on demand for preservice and in-service teachers to help build understanding and connections between mathematics concepts. The resources, presented by the education technology division of Texas Instruments, focus on the scope and sequence of learning for the middle grades and are integrated with TI-Nspire graphing calculator technology.

• Resource type: Tool, Collection of Resources
• Source: Texas Instruments Education Technology

Mathematics Assessment Project: TRU: Teaching for Robust Understanding

Primary Audience: K–12 mathematics

The TRU Framework consists of research-grounded resources, rubrics, and professional development modules for characterizing and enacting five dimensions of classroom activity that contribute to robust mathematics learning environments for students. The “five dimensions of powerful classrooms” defined in the TRU Framework include content; cognitive demand; access to content; student agency, authority, and identity; and formative assessment.

The TRU Framework resources have been used by professional learning communities to improve classroom teaching and learning.

• Resource type: Tool
• Source: The TRU Framework was developed through a MAP: Mathematics Assessment Project collaboration between the University of California, Berkeley’s Algebra Teaching Study, Michigan State University, and the MARS (Mathematics Assessment Resource Service) of the Shell Center for Mathematical Education at the University of Nottingham.

National Math and Science Initiative’s Laying the Foundation

Primary Audience: K–12 mathematics

Laying the Foundation provides professional development to in-service teachers in grades 3-12 on rigorous course content, instructional strategies for diverse classrooms, and vertical alignment with College Board Advanced Placement (AP) science and mathematics courses. 

The intent of the Laying the Foundation program is to is “lay the foundation” of strong core content by helping teachers enhance subject-matter expertise and improve skills required to lead diverse classrooms. A key program aim is ensuring students have more opportunities to take AP courses and experience better outcomes in mathematics, science, English, and computer science courses. 

In 2020 NMSI also published a playlist of free video lessons to support the swift transition to online teaching.

• Resource type: Tool
• Source: The National Math and Science Initiative, is a nonprofit organization with a mission of “advancing STEM education to ensure all students, especially those furthest from opportunity, thrive and reach their highest potential as problem solvers and lifelong learners.”

NCTM 2020 Standards for Mathematics Teacher Preparation

Primary Audience: Higher education policy

These National Council of Teachers of Mathematics standards for the preparation of mathematics teachers (secondary level and middle level) have been updated given current research in mathematics education, conversations around the purpose of secondary mathematics (see also the NCTM Catalyzing Change series), and the need for better alignment to college and career readiness standards and pathways.

• Resource type: Informational (2020)
• Source: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

UTeach Accelerate

Primary Audience: Higher education mathematics, higher education administration, higher education advisor

UTeach Accelerate is one of four university program alternative teacher certification programs under the United States Department of Education Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) program. These programs offer scholarships and uniquely designed coursework that provides teacher candidates with field experiences and core learning experiences. Candidates can become teachers within short periods of times while receiving long-term support.

• Resource type: Example
• Source: UTeach Professional Development, College of Natural Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin

Knowles Teacher Initiative

Primary Audience: K–12 mathematics, K–12 administration

The Knowles Teacher Initiative offers a national network of support to teachers through fellowships and professional development opportunities. Teaching fellows receive financial support, mentoring from Senior Fellows, and access to a community of more than 400 teachers. The Knowles Teacher Initiative was founded in 1999, and the first mathematics teachers were awarded Teaching Fellowships in 2005. 

Courses currently offered include Physics for the Next Generation: The Patterns Approach; Engaging Math and Science Students in Engineering Design; Designing Instructional Tasks to Increase Student Engagement and Learning in Math (and a comparable course for science); and Using Effective Group Work to Maximize Learning for All Students.

• Resource type: Tool
• Source: Knowles Teacher Initiative

The California Mathematics Project

Primary Audience: K–12 mathematics, K–12 administration, K–12 policy

The California Mathematics Project is a K–16 network of regional collaborations between institutions of higher education and K–12 districts. CMP serves mathematics teachers working with diverse student populations, by providing supports and resources such as professional development on literacy skills for English language learners in mathematics as well as ways to identify, develop, and sustain mathematics teacher leaders. CMP programs include the California Action Network for Mathematics Excellence and Equity (CANMEE), California Mathematics Project Supporting Teachers to Increase Retention (CMP STIR), and the Career Technical Education Connection Initiative (C3).

• Resource type: Example
• Source: The California Mathematics Project

Raising Texas Teachers, a project of Raise Your Hand Texas

Primary Audience: Higher Education administration, higher education advisor, business/workforce

The Raise Your Hand Texas Foundation launched Raising Texas Teachers, which includes the Charles Butt Scholarship for Aspiring Teachers, partnerships with Texas universities to improve teacher preparation, and a statewide campaign to elevate the status of the teaching profession.

• Resource type: Example
• Source: The Raise Your Hand Texas Foundation

Inside Mathematics

Primary Audiences: K–12 mathematics

Inside Mathematics includes tools for educators, video lessons showing best teaching practices, nonroutine “Problems of the Month,” tasks aligned with education standards, practitioner guides for building welcoming classroom climates, and grade-level formative performance assessment tasks. The website’s content is updated regularly.

• Resource type: Other
• Source: Charles A. Dana Center, The University of Texas at Austin

What Is Rigor in Mathematics Really? [Report]

Primary Audiences: K–12 mathematics, higher education mathematics

This report provides stakeholders with information regarding what rigor looks like in the mathematics classroom and provides recommendations for moving forward.

• Resource type: Informational (2019)
• Source: Charles A. Dana Center, The University of Texas at Austin

The Brain Basis for Integrated Social, Emotional, and Academic Development

Primary Audiences: K–12 mathematics, K–12 administration, K–12 counselor, K–12 policy

This brief explains “how emotions and relationships drive learning and are a fundamental part of how our brains develop.”

The authors summarize extensive research into brain development across childhood and adolescence, define optimal environments that support the whole child, and suggest basic but profound principles to guide policy and practice.

• Resource type: Informational (2018)
• Source: National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development, a program of the Aspen Institute

Academic Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) and Mathematics Curriculum Materials

Primary Audiences: K–12 mathematics, K–12 administration, K–12 counselor

This tool can be used to determine if your mathematics instructional materials support students’ understanding and application of widely accepted social and emotional learning (SEL) competencies.

The guiding questions addressed are:

• Do the instructional materials promote student engagement in the SEL competencies and the application of the Standards for Mathematical Practice (SMP) in ways that connect to the academic SEL competencies?
• Do the educator supports explicitly describe ways to engage students in the SEL competencies and the SMP in ways that connect to the SEL competencies?
• Resource type: Tool (2018)
• Source: Charles A. Dana Center, The University of Texas at Austin

Effective Student Support Services at Oklahoma State University to Improve Student Success in Lower-Level Mathematics Courses [Brief]

Primary Audiences: higher education mathematics, higher education student supports

This brief is an example of a strong peer-to-peer student support center that researches its own practices to make continuous data-driven improvements.

• Resource type: Example (2018)
• Source: Charles A. Dana Center, The University of Texas at Austin

Advising and Mathematics Pathways

Primary Audiences: higher education student supports

This essay, a chapter in the 2019 monograph Emerging Issues in Mathematics Pathways, discusses the importance of advising students and the effects of advising on student learning, persistence, retention, and degree completion.

The chapter explores how mathematics pathways are changing the landscape of advising and what that change means for training and participation of advisors to effectively support students in choosing the most suitable mathematics pathways. It  concludes with recommendations for advisors, faculty, departments, institutions, and policy leaders in advising students from matriculation to degree completion.

Resource type: Informational (2019)

Source: Dana Center Mathematics Pathways, part of the Charles A. Dana Center, The University of Texas at Austin

Integrated Student Support Services in Action

Primary Audiences: higher education administration, higher education student supports

Achieving the Dream’s 2018 Integrated Student Support Services in Action: A Guide to Implementing the Working Students Success Network Approach includes lessons learned from the Working Students Success Network (WSSN) around supporting colleges in designing, organizing, and implementing an integrated student support services approach to better serve students.

The WSSN approach is implemented through education and career services, income and work supports, and financial services and asset-building.

The guidebook is organized around six key practices that colleges applied to develop and/or refine their student support services approach. It also includes case-making resources, key takeaways, and lessons learned from challenges faced in their efforts. 

Resources, tools, and templates are embedded within the guidebook to serve as a comprehensive resource towards planning and implementation efforts.

• Resource type: Tool, 2018
• Source: Achieving the Dream

Dana Center Mathematics Pathways Implementation Guide

Primary Audiences: higher education mathematics, higher education administration, higher education student supports

This Dana Center Mathematics Pathways implementation guide is designed for higher education faculty and staff at two-year and four-year institutions of higher education that are implementing and scaling mathematics pathways based on the Dana Center Mathematics Pathways principles.

The step-by-step guide offers a blueprint for implementation that spans four stages. The stages frame the work so that different stakeholder groups understand how to plan and prepare to implement mathematics pathways at their individual institutions and how to monitor implementation efforts for continuous improvement.

• Resource type: Tool
• Source: DCMP: Dana Center Mathematics Pathways, DCMP is an initiative of the Charles A. Dana Center, The University of Texas at Austin

What We Know About Guided Pathways

Primary Audiences: higher education administration

The What We Know About Guided Pathways report, part of a series that make up a CCRC “practitioner packet,” offers a research review of the guided pathways model of course offerings in higher education, and how it compares to a traditional “cafeteria” model of disconnected courses and supports.

Specific procedural and educational structures compared include academic programming, new student intake, instruction, and progress monitoring and support.

Note that a CCRC practitioner packet on guided pathways reforms, What We Are Learning About Guided Pathways, was published in April 2018.

• Resource type: Informational (2015)
• Source: Community College Research Center, Teachers College, Columbia University

Engaging Students with a Mobile App

Primary Audiences: higher education administration, higher education student supports

This 2015 case study published by the education technology professional association EDUCAUSE details how Texas A&M University at Galveston researched and adopted a mobile app as a two-way pipeline of information to support and connect incoming and current students to the day-to-day details of academic life and the broader community. 

Extensive features of the “personal assistant” app directly connect students to each other. Analytics collection integrated into the platform provides insights into how and when students are engaging with the app, and the app’s machine-learning capabilities provide feedback related to “campus sentiment”—aggregated trend data suggesting the “mood” on campus at a given time.

• Resource type: Informational
• Source: EDUCAUSE Review

Advise TN

Primary Audiences: K–12 counselor, K–12 policy, higher education supports, higher education policy

Advise TN, a state-funded initiative, partnered with high schools with students whose achievement scores were seen as below the state average typically required for continuing to college.
The Advise TN website notes that the initiative is “driven by the belief that every student has the potential to attend and thrive in postsecondary education.”

Advise TN partnered with high schools selected through a competitive application process and hired and trained college counselors to work with high school counselors, educators, and parents to provide additional support for juniors and seniors making choices about their postsecondary options and navigating the college admissions and financial aid process.

The 2016 initiative was an additional support for the Tennessee Higher Education Commission’s campaign to increase the number of Tennesseans able to access and succeed in postsecondary education.

• Resource type: Example
• Source: Tennessee Higher Education Commission, Tennessee State Government

College Advising Corps

Primary Audiences: K–12 administration, K–12 counselor, K–12 policy

The College Advising Corps focuses on college enrollment and completion among high school students by delivering personalized, knowledgeable guidance on college admission, financial aid, and enrollment.

The CAC seeks to create a college-going culture by pairing recent college graduates from partner universities with high schools and students via in-person and virtual options.

• Resource type: Example
• Source: College Advising Corps

National College Attainment Network

Primary Audiences: K–12 administration, K–12 counselor, K–12 policy

The National College Attainment Network's mission is to build, strengthen, and empower communities and stakeholders to close gaps in postsecondary attainment for all students.

The NCAN website provides tools and resources for administrators, counselors, advisors, policy agencies, and other professionals supporting college and career readiness.

• Resource type: Collection
• Source: National College Attainment Network

Agile Mind Academic Youth Development

Primary Audiences: K–12 mathematics, K–12 administration, K–12 counseling

Agile Mind has collaborated with the Dana Center and leading psychologists to develop a suite of programs that translate the latest research on student mindset, motivation, learning, and persistence into practical classroom strategies and tools that can be enacted every day, in every classroom, to produce a lasting impact on every student.

Academic Youth Development connects students’ learning with foundational mathematics content. Students apply new skills to real-world problem-solving in areas of mathematics that are essential to their grade-level achievement. They learn and refine proven strategies for mathematics success, and collaborate with peers to analyze and understand problem situations, develop conjectures, and describe their thinking.

• Resource type: Tool
• Source: The Charles A Dana Center and Agile Mind
   

State Strategies to Scale Work-Based Learning

Primary Audiences: K–12 policy, higher education policy, business/workforce

States started the National Governors Association policy academy with the goal of expanding work-based learning in alignment with the broader statewide goals and strategies for education and credential attainment outlined by their governors. 

The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) gathered best practices learned over four years of the policy academy into this report. The report provides details on how governors can lead and work with state partners on key elements of state systems change to scale high-quality work-based learning and embed it across education and workforce programs. These elements include

• Setting, communicating, and implementing a statewide vision;
• Collecting and using data to measure and scale high-quality work-based learning opportunities;
• Cultivating long-term resource development and policy change to support and scale work-based learning.
• Resource type: Example
• Source: National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center)

Educate for Opportunity

Primary Audiences: Business/workforce

The National Governors Association (NGA) Educate for Opportunity Project, launched in 2019, is a partnership with Strada Education Network, to help support training initiatives for adult learners in Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wyoming.

These states received an initial grant of $100,000 as well as technical assistance from the National Governors Association to refine their data-driven approaches to anticipating and meeting future workforce needs.

Each grantee receives access to state-specific proprietary data from the Strada-Gallup Education Consumer Survey, a data set consisting of interviews from more than 330,000 individuals of various backgrounds and education levels, broken down by cities and regions in each state. The dataset provides information for educators, employers, and state policymakers about what types of education and workforce opportunities will produce the best results for their residents and improve the workforce and economic development in their states.

Grantees are pursuing a variety of policy changes including financial aid reform, improved cross-agency collaboration, and other interventions to better serve their identified target population.

• Resource type: Informational
• Source: National Governors Association, Strada Education Network

Success in Real-Time: Using Real-Time Labor Market Information to Build Better Middle-Skill STEM Pathways

Primary Audiences: Higher education policy, business/workforce

This 2015 research brief highlights some of the specific challenges states face in providing leadership to close the skills gap and offers recommendations for harnessing real-time labor market information (LMI) to develop middle-skill science technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) pathways to success at community colleges.

The report website landing page includes links to additional related publications on a Middle-Skill STEM State Policy Framework and on STEM Regional Collaboratives.

• Resource type: Example (2015)
• Source: Jobs for the Future

The Role of Data and Accountability in Growing Youth Apprenticeship Programs

Primary Audiences: K–12 policy, higher education policy, business/workforce

This report features information on how states are collecting and validating data on youth apprenticeship and other work-based learning initiatives. It also outlines some steps that can be taken to expand quantitative and qualitative data collection that would support program development and expansion. States mentioned include Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Maryland, Oklahoma, Oregon, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Wisconsin.

Resource type: Other (2019)

Source: Advance Career Technical Education

CareerWise Colorado: Modern Youth Apprenticeship

Primary Audiences: K–12 mathematics, K–12 counselor, business/workforce

CareerWise Colorado: Modern Youth Apprenticeship is an online resource that high school juniors and seniors who are at least 16 years old can use to find youth apprenticeships tied to high-demand fields in Colorado.

Program access is limited to students in participating school districts.

Career pathways with established business partnerships include advanced manufacturing, healthcare, information technology, financial services, hospitality, education and training, and business operations.

• Resource type: Example (2019)
• Source: CareerWise Colorado

Partnerships to Align Education and Careers

Primary Audiences: K–12 mathematics, K–12 administration, K–12 policy, higher education math, higher education administration, higher education policy, business/workforce

This 2020 report from the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) is the work of state legislators, education leaders, and industry representatives from SREB states (Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia) who served on the SREB Commission on Strategic Partnerships for Work-Ready Students.

The report calls for increased partnerships between schools and employers to give students more opportunities for work-based learning in high school and college. The report highlights successful state work-readiness programs and makes recommendations regarding industry partnerships, statewide policies, funding, educator and counselor support, and expanded internships and apprenticeships.

• Resource type: Informational (2020)
• Source: Southern Regional Education Board

Rethinking Postsecondary Mathematics

Primary Audiences: K–12 policy, higher education mathematics, higher education administration, higher education policy

This 2014 report, produced by the Ohio Mathematics Steering Committee, part of the Ohio Mathematics Initiative of the Ohio Department of Higher Education, lays out a plan for ensuring that mathematics education pathways are aligned from high school through postsecondary education and with the state’s workforce and economic development needs.

The recommendations of the report include developing multiple high-quality mathematics pathways for students that align with areas of interest, improving transparency related to transfer policies, and engaging faculty in a collaborative effort to create rigorous courses with appropriate supports.

• Resource Type: Informational (2014)
• Source: Ohio Mathematics Steering Committee, Ohio Mathematics Initiative, Ohio Department of Higher Education

Strategies for K–12 and Postsecondary Alignment

Primary Audiences: K–12 policy, higher education policy

This 2010 report from Achieve provides examples from states that have worked to better align high school graduation requirements with college and career readiness expectations. 

The brief recommends states collaborate in four key areas to improve alignment:

• Align higher education admissions and college‐ and career‐ready graduation requirements;
• Provide opportunities for students to earn college credits while in high school;
• Build anchor assessments that have credibility and utility with higher education; and
• Create a robust communications campaign to articulate what it means to be prepared for higher education.
• Resource Type: Example (2010)
• Source: Achieve, a nonprofit education organization founded in 1996 and shuttered in 2020.

Tennessee Department of Education Graduation Requirements

Primary Audiences: K–12 policy, higher education administration

The Tennessee Department of Education graduation requirements are an example of a statewide high school graduation policy that requires four years of mathematics for all students. While Algebra I and II and Geometry are required, the fourth course is not specified in the standards. Students are also required to be enrolled in math each year.

• Resource Type: Example
• Source: Tennessee Department of Education

Improving Students’ College Math Readiness

Primary Audiences: K–12 policy, higher education math

This 2013 article summarizes a literature review on the effectiveness of strategies and interventions postsecondary institutions use to support underprepared students. A full report is available at CAPSEE: Center for Analysis of Postsecondary Education and Employment.

The Education Northwest article examines three student support strategies in particular:

• “Intervening prematriculation”: Requiring summer boot camps or other refresher courses before students begin load-bearing courses.
• “Reforming developmental math”: Changing the structure and content of developmental supports.
• “Improving Math Instruction”: Changing the ways developmental and college mathematics courses are taught.
• Resource Type: Informational (2013)
• Source: Education Northwest

Seamless Alignment and Integrated Learning Support (SAILS)

Primary Audiences: K–12 policy, higher education policy

Tennessee’s Seamless Alignment and Integrated Learning Support (SAILS) program supports students who have been identified by their ACT and/or Accuplacer scores as unprepared for college-level mathematics by enrolling them in developmental courses at their high school during their senior year.

Students participating in SAILS can earn their high school credit and avoid taking developmental mathematics in college, as SAILS is widely accepted at Tennessee community colleges and universities in place of developmental courses.

• Resource Type: Example
• Source: The College System of Tennessee

Indiana’s Math Pathways Recommendations

Primary Audiences: Higher education mathematics higher education administration, higher education advisor, higher education policy

This 2015 report summarizes recommendations from the Indiana Math Council and was published by the Indiana Commission on Higher Education. The report makes the case for adding quantitative literacy as the preferred gateway mathematics courses for meta-majors that do not require calculus. It presents the core elements of a quantitative reasoning course and argues why a calculus pathway should no longer be the default mathematics pathway for new entering college students.

• Resource Type: Report (2015)
• Source: Dana Center Mathematics Pathways, Charles A. Dana Center

The Power of Perception

Primary Audiences: K–12 mathematics, K–12 administration, K–12 policy, higher education mathematics, higher education administration, higher education policy

This essay on asset-framing, “defining people by their aspirations and contributions before acknowledging their challenges and investing in them for their continued benefit to society,” explores the benefits of adopting asset-framing over deficit-framing, with reference to the work of behavioral economist and cognitive psychologist Daniel Kahneman. 

Essay author Trabian Shorters founded the BMe community to apply asset-framing to improve lives, particularly for communities of color.

• Resource Type: Informational (2019)
• Source: The Communications Network’s Change Agent, annual print journal for social sector communicators, The Communications Network

Creating a Communications Plan

Primary Audiences: K–12 administration, K–12 policy, higher education administration, higher education policy

The Wallace Foundation’s Creating a Communications Plan (Workbook A, part of a larger resource kit) is a nuts-and-bolts guide designed for a Wallace Foundation project but generally applicable to other types of efforts. It is hosted in the Wallace Foundation’s extensive Knowledge Center of free reports, videos, tools, infographics, and other resources relevant to education.

This detailed communications guide offers guiding questions and real-world advice on assembling media kits, writing articles, creating public service announcements, and developing promotional graphics and videos.

• Resource Type: Tool
• Source: The Wallace Foundation Knowledge Center

Communications to Promote Interest and Participation

Primary Audiences: K–12 administration, K–12 policy, higher education administration, higher education policy

This resource offers detailed guidance for creating a comprehensive communications plan to build awareness around an issue or project. It includes information on principles of persuasion and handling crisis communications. It also gives practical advice on preparing press releases, working with the media, and creating posters, brochures, campaigns, and websites.

• Resource Type: Tool
• Source: The Community Tool Box, Center for Community Health and Development, University of Kansas

Skills Pages Website: Massachusetts Work-Based Learning Resources

Primary Audiences: K–12 mathematics, K–12 administration, K–12 policy, higher education administration, higher education policy

This quick explainer was developed by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to support implementation of the Massachusetts Work-Based Learning Plan and the Massachusetts Career Readiness (MA-CR) Database. 

The explainer offers brief descriptions and examples of asset-based versus deficit-based language. It notes that because framing language can affect program outcomes, “The language used in youth programming should focus on positive outcomes and personal strengths, rather than problems and barriers.”

• Resource Type: Informational
• Source: Skills Pages Youth Employment Resources, The Massachusetts Work-Based Learning Plan, Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Ohio Mathematics Initiative

Primary Audiences: K–12 policy, higher education policy

This communication platform for the Ohio Department of Higher Education’s Ohio Mathematics Initiative provides a summary and resources related to the mission of a statewide working group.

The site provides an overview, mission statement, and strategies and includes links to detailed information about the working group and its subcommittees; meeting information including agendas and minutes; year-end reports; and a knowledge base of training guides, “fast fact” sheets, and contact information to request more information.

• Resource Type: Example
• Source: Ohio Department of Higher Education

Oregon Math Project

Primary Audiences: K–12 policy, higher education policy

The Oregon Department of Education communication platform for its Oregon Math Project provides an overview statement of the content and links to descriptions of ongoing work and additional mathematics educator resources. 

It also includes practice briefs that focus on classroom discourse, mathematical modeling, and tracking. Each brief includes a definition of the issue, a statement of why the issue matters, guiding questions, and suggested action steps to initiate reforms.

• Resource Type: Example
• Source: Oregon Department of Education

Social Transformation Project: 5 Pathways to Effective Decisions Tool

Primary Audiences: K–12 administration, K–12 policy, higher education administration, higher education policy

The Social Transformation Project’s 2013 5 Pathways to Effective Decisions Tool is part of STC’s Tools for Transformation suite of resources. This tool outlines five different pathways or modes for decision-making: Tell, Sell, Test, Consult, and Co-create. It provides definitions and guiding questions for each mode, to help determine which might be most optimal depending on the situation.

• Resource Type: Tool (2013)
• Source: STC’s Tools for Transformation, Social Transformation Project

Dana Center Mathematics Pathways: Plan for communication and engagement over time

Primary Audiences: K–12 mathematics, K–12 administration, K–12 policy, higher education mathematics, higher education administration, higher education policy

The Dana Center Mathematics Pathways Implementation Guide is designed for higher education faculty and staff at two-year and four-year institutions of higher education that are implementing and scaling mathematics pathways based on the Dana Center Mathematics Pathways principles.

The step-by-step guide offers a blueprint for implementation that spans four stages. Stage 1 of the guide is Getting Started, and Action 3 is “Plan for communication and engagement over time.” The section is broken down into 4 steps, each with guidance and resources.

• Resource Type: Tool
• Source: DCMP: Dana Center Mathematics Pathways, DCMP is an initiative of the Charles A. Dana Center, The University of Texas at Austin

Explore the Value and Importance of P20 Education Councils!

Primary Audiences: Research/Impact Evaluation

This 2020 Psychology Today article provides a general description of P–20 (preschool through college) initiatives and their role in shaping education policy and accountability across state agencies.

The article places special emphasis on the role community colleges— because of their ubiquity and the accessible education opportunities they offer—can play in coordinating communication between high schools and colleges.

• Resource Type: Informational
• Source: Luskin, Bernard J. (2020 January 10). Luskin Learning Psychology Series, No. 48, published in Psychology Today

Creating a P–20 Continuum of Actionable Academic Indicators of Student Readiness

Primary Audiences: K–12 policy, higher education policy, research/impact evaluation

This 2013 policy brief from the now-shuttered American Diploma Project Network of Achieve is a guide for state education policy leaders to use in selecting and prioritizing college-and-career-ready student academic performance indicators beginning in preschool and continuing through college—a grade and course span often called the P–20 continuum. 

These indicators can be built into a state’s accountability system through public reporting, statewide performance goals, school-level incentives, and accountability formulas used to differentiate and classify schools and districts.

• Resource Type: Informational (2013)
• Source: American Diploma Project Network of Achieve, a nonprofit education organization founded in 1996 and shuttered in 2020.

Examples of P20 initiatives with shared metrics

Primary Audiences: K–12 policy, higher education policy, business/workforce, research/impact evaluation

These state agency websites show some of the various ways that states with prekindergarten through college (P–20) initiatives share publicly available metrics across the P–20 spectrum. Most of these examples include metrics for each of the stages of the P–20 progression (i.e., metrics for early learning, K–12, postsecondary, and workforce).

• Arizona Office of Education
• State of Connecticut Office of Policy and Management
• Hawaii DXP: Data eXchange Partnership
• Illinois P–20 Council
• Michigan Department of Education, Top 10 in 10 Years
• Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission, Advancing STEM Education in Oregon: STEM Investment Council, Regional STEM Hubs, and STEM Innovation Grants
• Utah Data Research Center, Utah’s Education Pipeline
• Resource Type: Examples
• Source: Multiple state agency websites

Leveraging the Every Student Succeeds Act to Support State Visions for College and Career Readiness

Primary Audiences: K–12 policy, higher education policy, business/workforce, research/impact evaluation

This 2016 policy brief from the American Institutes for Research’s College and Career Readiness and Success Center provides suggestions for states to move college-and-career-readiness strategies forward cohesively, incorporating academic and nonacademic student outcomes as outlined in the federal Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA).

ESSA outcomes include academic knowledge, critical thinking and problem-solving skills, social and emotional traits, intrapersonal skills, citizenship and community involvement practices, and other skills that support employability.

• Resource Type: Informational (2016)
• Source: The CCRS: College and Career Readiness and Success Center (2012–2019) was a project of the American Institutes for Research and was funded through a U.S. Department of Education grant.

Encouraging Social and Emotional Learning in the Context of New Accountability

Primary Audiences: K–12 policy, higher education policy, research/impact evaluation

This 2017 report from the Learning Policy Institute provides a framework for considering how measures of social and emotional learning (SEL) and school climate may be incorporated in a multitiered system for accountability and continuous improvement that provides useful information about school status and progress at the state, district, and school levels.

• Resource Type: Informational (2017)
• Source: Learning Policy Institute

Are You Ready to Assess Social and Emotional Learning and Development? (Second Edition)

Primary Audiences: Research/impact evaluation

This 2019 American Institutes for Research informational toolkit (an expansion of the original 2015 resource) includes a brief, a decision tree, and a tools index.

• The brief details updates to the evolving social and emotional learning (SEL) assessment landscape, including an increased focus on student engagement, school climate, and safety in response to the federal Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA). The brief also includes critical thinking exercises to determine implementation readiness.
• The decision tree is designed to help organizations decide on assessments and encourages the consideration of key concepts including the purpose, rigor, practicalities, burden, and ethics of using various assessments.
• The tools index offers an extensive list of assessment tools.
• Resource Type: Informational (2019)
• Source: American Institutes for Research

Innovative Approaches and Measurement Considerations for the Selection of the School Quality and Student Success Indicator under ESSA

Primary Audiences: K–12 policy, higher education policy, research/impact evaluation

This 2017 report from the Council of Chief State School Officers provides information for agencies and state-level policymakers studying ways to assess and report on the “5th indicator” requirement to report holistic school quality indicators as required under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015. The report offers guiding questions for policymakers focused on three indicators: College and Career Readiness, School Climate, and Student Social-Emotional Mindsets and Skills. 

The report includes case studies from Connecticut, Tennessee, and West Virginia that examine approaches to using multiple measures taking into consideration cost and scalability. A final section examines measurement considerations, including identifying where to focus measurements, aligning validation efforts to a theory of action, and combining multiple indicators into a single accountability score.

• Resource Type: Informational (2017)
• Source: Council of Chief State School Officers

Center on Multi-Tiered System of Supports at the American Institutes for Research

Primary Audiences: K–12 policy, higher education policy, research/impact evaluation

The website of this American Institutes for Research project, the Center on Multi-Tiered System of Supports, has a large collection of guides, tools, publications, reports, and training materials related to the essential components of implementing a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) framework. 

There are reports on best practices by individual states and guides for planning, developing, implementing, and evaluating MTSS.

• Resource Type: Informational
• Source: American Institutes for Research

Elevating Student Voice in Education

Primary Audiences: K–12 mathematics, K–12 administration, K–12 counselor, K–12 policy, higher education policy, research/impact evaluation

This 2019 report from the Center for American Progress looks at various strategies—such as student journalism, personalized learning, and student-led conferences—used to incorporate student input and agency, also known as student voice, in learning. 

The authors use case studies and provide pros and cons for the strategies and offer policy recommendations suitable for state-, district- and school-level implementation.

• Resource Type: Tool (2019)
• Source: Center for American Progress

How Delaware Aims to Improve College Readiness

Primary Audiences: Research/Impact Evaluation

This 2019 report from the Center for American Progress outlines the steps the state of Delaware took to create meaningful connections between previously disconnected data points related to students’ high school course enrollment and completion and college remediation rates. 

Those connections and the involvement of multiple stakeholders led to a College Success Report (CSR) with clear, actionable advice for addressing the challenges faced by high school graduates underprepared by their schools for success in postsecondary education. The report includes recommendations for other states on several topics, including implementing multiple mathematics pathways relevant to students’ future college or career interests.

• Resource Type: Informational (2019)
• Source: Center for American Progress

The Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems Grant Program

Primary Audiences: K–12 policy, higher education policy, business/workforce, research/impact evaluation

The National Center for Education Statistics Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS) Grant Program was created by the Institute of Education Sciences. The SLDS Grant Program website, administered by the National Center for Education Statistics, is a clearinghouse for information about the program, which began awarding grants in 2005. 

In addition to information about the grant application process, the site includes publications, a webinar archive, and resources from the SLDS State Support Team, which offers U.S. states and territories technical assistance in developing and implementing SLDSs.

• Resource Type: Informational
• Source: NCES: the National Center for Education Statistics, is part of IES: the Institute of Education Sciences, in the U.S. Department of Education

50-State Comparison: Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS)

Primary Audiences: K–12 policy, higher education policy, business/workforce, research/impact evaluation

This regularly updated online resource from the Education Commission of the States provides a comprehensive deep dive into Statewide Longitudinal Data System (SLDS) policies in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

• Resource Type: Informational/data (2020)
• Source: Education Commission of the States

Washington State Education Research & Data Center Data Dashboards

Primary Audiences: K–12 policy, higher education policy, business/workforce, research/impact evaluation

This State of Washington website provides users with data dashboards, that show longitudinal information and research about transitions between the education and workforce sectors. The dashboards include graphs and brief summaries of the data presented. 

• Resource Type: Example
• Source: Education Research and Data Center, Office of Financial Management, State of Washington

EdExplainer: Education Data Systems in North Carolina

Primary Audiences: K–12 policy, higher education policy, business/workforce, research/impact evaluation

This lengthy 2019 article from EducationNC gives a detailed overview of how education and workforce data is collected and distributed throughout the state. The author details data collection across the education continuum from K–12 to colleges and universities, and she describes the history of the state’s first Statewide Longitudinal Data System (SLDS) and its current role in connecting and disseminating data.

• Resource Type: Example (2019)
• Source: EducationNC

Roadmap for K–12 and Workforce Data Linkages

Primary Audiences: K–12 policy, higher education policy, business/workforce, research/impact evaluation

With a particular focus on workforce readiness, this report explores the reliability of data linkages between data systems for K–12 and for the workforce. The report provides examples of good practices and critical questions for stakeholders to consider.

• Resource Type: Informational (2018)
• Source: National Skills Coalition, Workforce Data Quality Campaign (WDQC), Data Quality Campaign

Common Education Data Standards (CEDS)

Primary Audiences: K–12 policy, higher education policy, business/workforce, research/impact evaluation

In an effort to enhance and facilitate meaningful education data exchange, comparison, and analysis, the Common Education Data Standards (CEDS) Initiative was established by the U.S. Department of Education. CEDS is a nationwide collaborative effort and this website contains the continuing work to standardize definitions, model data, and integrate data tools. There are also resources for data governance and assessment interoperability frameworks.

• Resource Type: Informational
• Source: U.S. Department of Education