About
Education Networks Come Together to Improve How They Support Educators
The ways in which people access information for professional development have shifted significantly in recent years. This is especially true in the field of education, which has experienced dramatic change and challenges in the past few years, such as adapting to virtual learning during COVID-19, learning loss among students, workforce shortages, and more.
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Education networks (e.g., professional associations of education professionals) have long been a source of knowledge and support for education professionals, but for many networks, it has been difficult to keep up with the pace of change in the field and ensure their knowledge and resources are reaching those who need it most. To address this challenge, eight education networks are coming together to form a community of practice facilitating knowledge sharing with practitioners to support better outcomes for Black and Latino students and students experiencing poverty. The community of practice will provide a space for networks to learn from peers, pilot new approaches, and inspire further learning and collective action.
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Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is funding the community of practice, as part of its K-12 Education Strategy. Community Wealth Partners is leading the design and facilitation—in partnership with community of practice members—and Results Lab is providing measurement and evaluation support. The vision for the community of practice was informed by input from more than 120 school district leaders, state education leaders, and education networks as well as a series of future visioning sessions among education networks (summarized in this report by Institute For The Future).
The community of practice will run through March 2024, and by then the goal is to see evidence of a strong field of education networks that can scale and sustain actionable knowledge in ways that advance educational equity. Indicators that this community is reaching this goal include the creation of actionable knowledge products, connection and alignment among education networks, and a shared commitment to continuing to work together and share resources in support of shared goals for student success.
Each participating network has received a grant of $100,000 to work on its individual goal, participate in small subgroups with other community of practice members to learn and take action on topics of common interest, and participate in full group activities for community-level learning. Each of these areas of work will contribute to broader learning for the field, and the community of practice is committed to sharing learning more broadly. Community of practice members have identified two key learning questions for their work together:
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How do we better center equity in education networks?
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How do we better support practitioners of color?
These will be priority topics for learning and knowledge creation.
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Supporting Partners
These organizations provide design, facilitation, measurement, and evaluation support to the cohort.
Community Wealth Partners
Guided by our vision of a world where all people have what they need to fully live into their potential, Community Wealth Partners works with nonprofits, foundations, and coalitions to create strategies, implement them, engage stakeholders, and learn about what works in pursuit of their missions. Community Wealth Partners provides design and facilitation support for the cohort. Learn More.
Results Lab
Results Lab is a social enterprise that propels organizations, communities, and networks to the next level of impact through quality design and effective use of Data--reinventing impact management and developing a culture of learning. ResultsLab is providing learning, evaluation and measurement support for the cohort. Learn More.