Bellwether

A shift to block grants could mean big changes for K-12 education funding — giving states more control but also more responsibility. How can states use this flexibility wisely? https://lnkd.in/eDW9h2y5

RESCHOOL and Outschool.org invite you to a live webinar on Wednesday, April 16th at 2 p.m. MT / 4 p.m. ET exploring how direct-to-family education funding can empower families, close learning gaps, and create more equitable access to educational opportunities. Moderated by Juliet Squire, Senior Partner, Bellwether, this discussion will feature: ▪️ Amy Anderson, Executive Director, RESCHOOL ▪️ Justin Dent, Executive Director, Outschool.org The conversation will highlight insights from two briefs co-authored by RESCHOOL and Outschool.org, offering a framework for policymakers and funders to expand equitable learning opportunities: ▪️ Putting Families in the Driver’s Seat – A policy framework for expanding education funding models equitably. ▪️ The Transformative Power of Microgrant Programs – An in-depth look at how philanthropy can help close the enrichment gap for all learners. This webinar is designed for policymakers, education leaders, funders, and advocates working to advance family-centered education policy and expand access to high-quality learning opportunities. Register now ⤵️ #EducationPolicy #EducationInnovation #InvestInFamilies

Last week aiEDU partnered with the amazing team at Bellwether (h/t Mary Wells, Amy Chen Kulesa, Marisa M.) to host a convening for 20+ leading education funders in Lone Rock, CO. This was not two days of panels and schmoozing—we put everyone to work and I am feeling more confident than ever that the ecosystem is honing in on a shared vision of how we can truly work together to ensure all students are ready for the age of AI. We'll be sharing a report with the outputs from our worksessions and mapping, but in the meantime, I just want to express my thanks to everyone who made the time during the busy Spring schedule to roll up their sleeves with us. 🙏

🚨 NEW! 🚨 From Sophie Zamarripa, Hailly T.N. Korman, Paul Beach, Libby Schwaner, and Max Marchitello: Transforming Education Data Sharing for Nebraska’s Court-Involved Students: Improving Academic Outcomes Through Cross-Agency Collaboration. https://lnkd.in/e8HRfxSr

The Trump administration may push to replace formula-based federal K-12 funding with more flexible block grants — shifting more education decisions to states. What could this mean for students and schools? https://lnkd.in/eujvb7AQ

🚨 NEW! 🚨 From Alex Spurrier, Biko McMillan, and Jennifer Schiess: Block Grants: A Framework for States’ Response to Potential Flexibility in Federal K-12 Education Funds. https://lnkd.in/eDW9h2y5

“You’re talking about losing our ability to know how we’re doing and where we’re falling short. And that is very dangerous, again to the health of not only our education system, but our economy and our national security." ICYMI, last week former Ed Secretary and SUNY Chancellor John B. King, Jr. joined Nick Lee to talk about the latest cuts at the Department of Education. Watch the full conversation: https://ow.ly/mUhk50VjvLt

Tomorrow night (Tuesday) at 8PM, The Disagreement is going Live on Substack for the first time. I will be joined by Andrew Rotherham (AKA Eduwonk) to discuss last week's gutting of the DOE, in which its workforce was cut by nearly 50%. Andy is an incredibly nuanced, thoughtful voice in the world of education policy. He will help us examine the policy and instructional implications of this seismic reduction in force and other recent measures taken by the administration. What questions should I ask Andy? Or feel free to ask yourself! To join the conversation, make sure you are subscribed to The Disagreement's substack (link below) and we will send a notification when we're live tomorrow at 8PM. Hope to see you there!

👏

💡