Tools & Publications

ERS Tools and Publications are trusted resources for education leaders, practitioners, and policymakers seeking guidance to make transformative change. Looking for something you can’t find? Contact us.

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Special Education Funding & Portfolio Standards & Instructional Resources States State Leaders Explore Toolkits

May 2015

Data Decisions Brief #1: Prioritizing 9th Grade Math

These short papers highlight common opportunities school systems have to yield big results for students by adjusting their current resource use. It is based on ERS' 10 years of close... More »

Publications District Leaders School Leaders Teaching Standards & Instructional Resources
February 2015

Six Opportunities to Restructure Education Resources in Georgia

From 2012 to 2013, ERS partnered with the Georgia Department of Education to address how the state and a few districts manage their resources. These reports highlight three opportunities... More »

Presentations Funding & Portfolio Student-Based Budgeting State Leaders States
December 2014

Spinning Straw into Gold

K–12 education resources are often allocated non-strategically, with schools spending time and money on activities that have little relationship to student outcomes. States can help... More »

Publications State Leaders School Support & Accountability States
October 2014

Return on Investment in Education

Recently, there has been growing interest in adapting Return on Investment thinking to education. But most ROI analysis still misses a big opportunity. Education leaders need a new... More »

Publications District Leaders Funding & Portfolio Leadership
June 2014

The New Education CFO

In recent years, school districts have found themselves in turbulent waters. They face quickly rising academic standards, a greater focus on teacher effectiveness, rapidly changing... More »

Publications District Leaders Funding & Portfolio Leadership
April 15, 2014

Student-Based Budgeting Webinar

The following is a video recording of our April 3 webinar on student-based budgeting, based off our recent publication, "Transforming School Funding: A Guide to Implementing Student-Based... More »

Presentations District Leaders Funding & Portfolio Student-Based Budgeting
June 2013

Student-Based Budgeting Video

This short video was created to offer advice to principals considering implementing a student-based budgeting system, also known as weighted-student funding. More »

Videos Funding & Portfolio Student-Based Budgeting
May 2013

Professional Growth & Support Spending Calculator

The Professional Growth & Support Spending Calculator helps quantify all current spending aimed at improving teaching effectiveness. Part I provides worksheets to analyze total... More »

Tools Funding & Portfolio Professional Learning School Leaders Teaching
April 2013

School Budget Hold'em Video: Balancing Quality with Big Savings

Our series of School Budget Hold'em winning hands videos illustrates how to reach a target budget reduction while prioritizing different areas. This video shows one way to balance quality... More »

Videos Presentations Funding & Portfolio School Leaders
April 01, 2013

How to Facilitate a School Budget Hold’em Session

Education Resource Strategies recently hosted a webinar on how to play the budget trade-off game called School Budget Hold'em. The game lets district leaders, and anyone involved in the... More »

Presentations Videos District Leaders Funding & Portfolio
March 18, 2013

Standards and Instruction District Story: Washington, D.C.

Ten years ago, D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) had 65,000 students. Today it has fewer than 45,000. The severe enrollment decline was a wake-up call for the district. Starting in 2007, DCPS... More »

Videos District Leaders School Leaders Standards & Instructional Resources
March 13, 2013

School Budget Report for School District of Philadelphia: 2008-2009

In the fall of 2007, Education Resource Strategies (ERS) was invited by Philadelphia’s School Reform Commission to conduct a Resource Use Analysis for the School District of Philadelphia... More »

Publications District Leaders Funding & Portfolio
March 2013

Funding District Story: U-46, Elgin, Illinois

In 2008, the U-46 School District in Illinois faced a budget deficit of $45 million. Instead of deciding to do less with limited funds, the district worked with the school board and... More »

Presentations District Leaders Funding & Portfolio School Leaders
March 2013

Why Now?

Hear from: Sam Franklin, Executive Director of the Office of Teacher Effectiveness, Pittsburgh Public Schools Brian Pick, Deputy Chief Academic Officer, D.C. Public Schools Alyssa... More »

Videos District Leaders Leadership School Support & Accountability Standards & Instructional Resources
February 28, 2013

School System 20/20 Infographic

The School System 20/20 infographic lets you see the possibilities for system transformation through ERS' seven-strategy framework. It illustrates the challenges to reallocating people,... More »

Presentations District Leaders Leadership School Support & Accountability Standards & Instructional Resources
November 2012

Transform Now Video

Our video illustrates why now is the time to take bold action to transform our school systems. Please share it and join the movement of district leaders dedicated to transforming school... More »

Videos District Leaders School Leaders State Leaders Leadership
April 18, 2012

Budget Hold'em Facilitator Guides

These instructions will help leaders organize and play Budget Hold'em. Use the Budget Hold'em for Districts Facilitator's Guide to play the in-person version of the game, using decks of... More »

Tools Publications District Leaders School Leaders Funding & Portfolio
January 2012

School Budget Hold'em Video: Investing in Teaching Effectiveness

Our series of School Budget Hold'em winning hands videos illustrates how to reach a target budget reduction while prioritizing different areas. This video shows one way to invest in... More »

Videos Tools District Leaders Funding & Portfolio Professional Learning School Leaders
June 7, 2011

Restructuring Resources for High-Performing Schools

Millions of education dollars are trapped each year. At this time of continued budget shortfalls when every dollar spent on education must yield maximum returns in student... More »

Publications Special Education State Leaders States
September 2010

Seven Strategies for District Transformation

This Getting Started guide is part of a series of publications designed to support your efforts to improve resource use in your district. Use this overview for a quick introduction to... More »

Publications District Leaders Standards & Instructional Resources
April 26, 2010

State Role in Districts Doing More with Less

ERS articulates for states what we know about district resource use and how states’ policies can best help district efforts. ERS Director Don Hovey gave this presentation in Miami at the... More »

Presentations State Leaders States
March 2009

Continuing to Improve Teaching Quality During Tough Economic Times

ERS Director Regis Shields presented at EdWeek’s webinar, “Creating Effective Teacher Professional Development in Tough Economic Times.” To turn tough times into opportunity, districts... More »

Presentations District Leaders Teaching Standards & Instructional Resources
2008

By Design Not Default

School districts across the country are redesigning their portfolios of high schools to include more small high schools. Over the past three years, Education Resource Strategies (ERS),... More »

Publications District Leaders Funding & Portfolio School Design
2008

The Strategic School

How can schools best use the resources they already have? That question is at the heart of this inspiring book for school and district administrators challenged with increasing student... More »

Publications District Leaders Funding & Portfolio School Leaders School Design Teaching School Support & Accountability
May 2007

Toward a Strategic Use of Resources in Saint Paul Public Schools

In the Fall of 2006, Education Resource Strategies (ERS) was invited by Saint Paul Public Schools (SPPS) to study the use of resources in the district and create priority recommendations... More »

Publications District Leaders Professional Learning Standards & Instructional Resources
2004

Becoming a Capable and Accountable System

In 2003–2004, ERS and the Annenberg Institute for School Reform analyzed how Baltimore City Public School System utilizes its professional development resources and examined the alignment... More »

Publications District Leaders Teaching Standards & Instructional Resources
August 01, 2003

Chicago Public Schools Professional Development Project

This project began as a result of a concern about how to strengthen the professional development of teachers and leaders throughout the Chicago Public Schools. Leaders of the district as... More »

Publications District Leaders Professional Learning Teaching Standards & Instructional Resources
May 2001

Getting to the Heart of School Improvement

Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) is now four years into implementing Student’s First, a powerful strategic plan for improving student performance. This report, requested by Superintendent... More »

Publications District Leaders Teaching Standards & Instructional Resources
2000

Reinvesting in Teachers

ERS with New American Schools, primary support from the Pew Charitable Trusts, has partnered with one or two reform-minded districts each year for three years to analyze spending on... More »

Publications District Leaders Teaching Standards & Instructional Resources
December 1999

Professional Development Spending in the Boston Public Schools

ERS supported Boston Public Schools and the Boston Plan for Excellence-Boston Annenberg Challenge in conducting an in-depth analysis of the district’s existing professional development... More »

Publications District Leaders Professional Learning Teaching Standards & Instructional Resources

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