Center on Innovation & Improvement

Center on Innovation & Improvement
Name	Center on Innovation & Improvement
Type	Nonprofit research and technical assistance center
Founded	2004
Location	United States
Focus	School improvement, educational leadership, data-driven decision making

Center on Innovation & Improvement is a U.S.-based nonprofit center focused on advancing school improvement through research, technical assistance, and professional development. It works with K–12 districts, state agencies, and nonprofit organizations to implement evidence-based strategies and support system reform. The center engages with a broad network of educational institutions, policy bodies, and philanthropic organizations to scale interventions and synthesize research for practitioners.

History and founding

The center was established in the early 2000s amid policy shifts following the No Child Left Behind Act and mounting attention from stakeholders such as the U.S. Department of Education, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and state education agencies. Its founding drew on expertise from leaders associated with institutions like American Institutes for Research, RAND Corporation, Harvard Graduate School of Education, and University of Chicago Consortium on School Research. Early collaborations included technical assistance contracts with regional educational service agencies, state departments such as the California Department of Education and the Texas Education Agency, and research partnerships with organizations like Learning Forward and Annenberg Institute for School Reform.

Mission and objectives

The center’s mission emphasizes improving student outcomes by supporting implementation of effective practices used by districts such as Chicago Public Schools, Los Angeles Unified School District, and Houston Independent School District. Objectives typically include building leadership capacity reflecting models from The Wallace Foundation, improving instructional practices aligned with frameworks from Council of Chief State School Officers and National Governors Association, and promoting data systems inspired by efforts from Ed-Fi Alliance and REL (Regional Educational Laboratory) networks.

Programs and initiatives

Programs combine elements of coaching, professional learning communities, and district turnaround support modeled on initiatives like Promise Neighborhoods, Turnaround for Children, and Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration Program. Initiatives have included district diagnostic tools similar to those employed by Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and multi-year supports resembling the Investing in Innovation (i3) grants. The center has run leadership academies that mirror curricula from New Leaders and Relay Graduate School of Education, and teacher development pathways reflecting approaches from Teach For America and National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

Research and publications

The center produces practice-oriented briefs, white papers, and implementation guides drawing on methods used by Institute of Education Sciences, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and Brookings Institution. Research outputs synthesize evidence from randomized trials like those reported by What Works Clearinghouse, case studies of districts including Baltimore City Public Schools and Cleveland Metropolitan School District, and evaluation frameworks from Center on Education Policy and Mathematica Policy Research. Publications often reference standards from Common Core State Standards Initiative, assessment strategies used by Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, and accountability models seen in work by Education Commission of the States.

Partnerships and collaborations

The center partners with state departments, research organizations, philanthropy, and local agencies. Collaborators have included the U.S. Department of Education, regional labs such as REL Midwest and REL West, foundations like Ford Foundation and Carnegie Corporation of New York, and nonprofit intermediaries such as Council of the Great City Schools, National School Boards Association, and KnowledgeWorks. Cross-sector alliances have linked the center to university research teams at Stanford Graduate School of Education, Columbia Teachers College, and University of Michigan School of Education for rigorous program evaluation.

Funding and governance

Funding historically derived from federal grants, private philanthropy, and contracts with state and local agencies, echoing models used by American Institutes for Research and SRI International. Major funders have included national philanthropies like Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, and federal programs administered through Institute of Education Sciences. Governance structures typically feature boards including former state superintendents, district leaders, and researchers with affiliations to Aspen Institute, Education Trust, and leading universities. Financial oversight and compliance align with requirements from entities such as the U.S. Department of Education and auditing practices common to nonprofit research centers.

Impact and evaluations

Evaluations of the center’s work use mixed-method approaches similar to reports by Mathematica Policy Research and RAND Corporation, employing metrics from state assessments, longitudinal student data systems like those promoted by Data Quality Campaign, and school climate measures used in studies by Learning Policy Institute. Impact studies have documented changes in leadership practices comparable to findings in The Wallace Foundation evaluations, district turnaround indicators akin to those in Massachusetts’ turnaround efforts, and improvements in instructional practice paralleling results reported by Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Independent reviews and partner evaluations often recommend scaling successful models in collaboration with networks including Council of Chief State School Officers, National Governors Association, and regional intermediaries.

Category:Educational organizations in the United States