ERS' Top 5 Resources of 2024

As we near the end of 2024, we reflect on the inspiring efforts of district leaders nationwide who are working tirelessly to enhance student and teacher experiences, all while navigating the significant challenges of this crucial post-pandemic era. 

Leaders are grappling with the expiration of ESSER funds, tight budget constraints, and persistent teacher shortages, as many teachers contend with an unstainable role. 

But despite these hurdles, district leaders remain committed to rethinking how they allocate resources, implement impactful strategies, and provide targeted support to students with the highest needs. 

Our work with these leaders inspires us to continue developing free resources to help drive transformation at scale. Here are our top five resources of 2024 that can help district, school, and state leaders reflect on their realities and create plans for improving student experiences and outcomes.

Transforming High School by Redesigning the Ninth Grade Experience

Ninth grade is a critical year for ensuring students gain the skills they need to succeed throughout high school—and graduate prepared for their next college and career chapters. If we want to give students a high school experience that truly engages, motivates, and prepares them for post-graduation life, we need to prioritize ninth grade.

Explore our content package from January to read our vision for an improved ninth-grade experience, a Q&A with a high school leader, and several case studies of this work in action. Click here to learn how to improve ninth-grade experiences

Sustaining High-Quality Instructional Coaching in a Challenging Budget Environment

When it’s done well, instructional coaching works. It improves the quality of instruction, enhances teacher retention, and boosts student achievement. But amid intense budget pressures, instructional coaching is often one of the first programs considered for cuts.

Fortunately, there’s a way forward: Our paper from October reveals how to sustain instructional coaching as part of a long-term vision for a better teaching job, including examples of different design models and their cost structures. See how to sustain high-quality instructional coaching here.

The System Strategy Approach to Return on Investment in Education

With intensified student learning needs, rising costs, and declining revenue, it’s more important than ever to prioritize the strategies that actually improve student outcomes—and scale back what isn’t working. Read our toolkit from November to learn the “why” and “how” of strategy implementation and how you can execute, monitor progress, adjust costs, and continuously improve.

Get started with tools like an AI-powered chatbot, a strategy dashboard template, and case studies. Click here to evaluate the ROI of school strategies

The State Leader’s Role in Reimagining the Teaching Job

We’ve partnered with district and state leaders from across the country for nearly two decades, and it’s clear to us that states play a critical role in driving transformational change. States have the ability to use policies to encourage research-based redesign, create incentives to foster innovation, and use statewide data to support decision-making.

Learn more by checking out this blog from May, which also features two case studies of how Texas and Maryland have driven change, as well as a diagnostic tool for assessing your state’s conditions for reimagining the teaching job. See how states can improve the teaching job here.

Examining the Inequities Impacting Students Across the Country

Dismantling systemic resource inequities in our schools starts with identifying where they exist in the first place. That’s why we, in partnership with EdTrust, published these interactive stories that highlight how inequities commonly show up and underscore how critical resource shifts can transform education, especially for students who need the most support.

Dive into the data to learn more about key areas like school funding, teacher and school leader diversity, student supports, and more. Click here to explore the data.

Stay tuned for more “Every school. Every student.”—a newsletter featuring tools and resources to empower K-12 leaders to redesign school systems and improve student outcomes.

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