The foundation is evolving its education strategies and investments to support and accelerate school-led improvements.

Going forward, we will be supporting middle and high schools to develop, refine, and learn from each other about approaches that are effective and that could be replicated in other schools. We will do this by investing in Intermediary organizations that support Networks for School Improvement.

A Network for School Improvement is a group of secondary schools working both collectively and individually with an Intermediary to use a continuous improvement process to improve student outcomes through tackling problems that are common across the network.

The Networks for School Improvement will be selected through an open and competitive RFP process that begins with an RFP launched this past Monday, January 8, 2018. Please follow this link to learn more about the RFP, which is open for responses from January 8 until February 21, 2018. We will also offer webinars on January 17 and 26 to share more about the RFP, and what we learned from our RFI issued last fall; more information can be found on the K-12 homepage.

Through the RFP, we are seeking Intermediaries who can help schools ensure students stay on course during vital academic transition points, help students graduate, and help students successfully enroll in a postsecondary institution and be on track in their first year to attain a degree or credential with labor-market value.

While each network will decide what approach will work best to address their biggest challenges, there are two things successful networks have in common: 1) a commitment to continuous learning and improvement, and 2) a focus on measuring their impact through indicators proven to predict students’ learning, progress, and success.

This approach recognizes that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to school improvement and that school leaders, including principals and teachers, are in the best position to know how to support their students.

If secondary Networks for School Improvement interest you, please visit the K-12 homepage, and sign up for the K-12 team’s Momentum newsletter to stay current on our work and receive updates.

Please review the foundation’s FAQs. You may also use the following email address for any particular queries related to the RFP at [email protected].