Bellwether

California’s school funding system was designed to direct more resources to students with the greatest needs. But new research shows that basic aid districts — particularly those with high property tax revenues and few high-need students — receive much more than their fair share. Learn more in Policy Analysis for California Education and Bellwether’s new report: https://lnkd.in/eDYx5S9J

Today at Eduwonk: Is the 2025 race for governor in Virginia 2021 all over again? Plus fellowship and sponsorship opportunities Bellwether, and more: https://lnkd.in/eCPtr543

Too often, AI in education is judged by what’s easy to measure: hours saved, number of logins, new features. But saving time is not the goal of education. Our new report challenges funders, education leaders, and developers to focus on outcomes that matter — because real success is measured in student growth, not dashboard metrics. https://lnkd.in/eZfhketg

New this fall: Bellwether’s Measurement & Evaluation Institute Our new institute helps education nonprofits and foundations create tools and systems to measure and communicate their impact and track progress toward their goals. We'll have two cohorts — one for educational organizations and one for foundation staff. Interested? Learn more about Bellwether’s evaluation work (including the Institute) on our website: https://lnkd.in/ej-cWBwB Questions? Reach out to Molly Jamieson to learn more.

We were excited to see Coach and CareerVillage.org included in Bellwether's new report as one example of how organizations are building internal evaluation frameworks for leveraging AI effectively in education. Our team has done--is still actively doing!--a LOT of work to develop, implement, and iterate on effective evals that create a virtuous cycle of improvement in Coach's output and (the real goal) more relevant, accurate, and actionable #CareerNavigation support for learners. Beyond evals, Bellwether's report diagnoses a core challenge in the field: too often, AI tools in education are judged by the wrong metrics (like logins or minutes spent) while evidence of actual learning impact lags behind. We’ve certainly been grappling with this ourselves. It’s a misalignment that risks letting hype outpace reality. We found the report both validating and challenging, a reminder that as AI adoption accelerates, measurement practices need to catch up to ensure learners are actually benefiting. It's hard! But it's also so important. A useful report for tool developers, education leaders, and funders. Full report here: https://lnkd.in/g5kTn4hg

What would it look like to give (even) more authority on education to states? Join us on Oct. 15 for a conversation exploring the Trump administration’s efforts to return more control over education policy to the states and what that could actually look like moving forward. Featuring David P. Cleary, Anne Hyslop, Katie Jenner, Patricia Levesque, and Andrew Rotherham.

Five years after the onset of COVID-19, what have we learned about how schools adapted? The pandemic forced school leaders to make big decisions in real time, often without precedent. Join Bellwether and CALDER for a conversation on: ▪️ What pandemic-era research reveals about education leadership and decision-making ▪️ How these findings can inform today’s challenges in schools ▪️ Why rigorous research and analysis are critical to shaping smart, effective policy Featuring Dan Goldhaber, Michael DeArmond, Andrew Rotherham, and Melissa King. https://lnkd.in/eeh9TESZ

We at |= Eedi are traveling on the same paths with my former colleagues at Bellwether. In their latest publication "Measuring AI in Education", Michelle Croft Amy Chen Kulesa Marisa M. and Mary Wells identify the critical role measurement needs to play in the development, implementation, and evaluation of AI. I'm also grateful to have found other fellow travelers in our partnership with Google DeepMind. Our work will hopefully serve as a useful model of how organizations can and should conduct rigorous R&D and invest in shared infrastructure as we align the capabilities of AI to the needs of learners. We're excited to share more in the coming weeks, stay tuned!

Measurement can feel nerdy or wonky, it's not glamourous. But it's absolutely critical if we want AI in education to deliver for students. In this new Bellwether report, Measuring AI in Education, we urge the field to measure what matters: student learning, instructional quality, and equitable impact. When we don't orient measurement to the right purpose, we risk getting distracted by the trends and losing sight of what students need the most. I invite you to take a read, and let us know what you think! Gratitude to my wonderful colleagues and co-authors: Michelle Croft, Marisa M., and Mary Wells. https://lnkd.in/eymuJfjc

This report is a worthy read. Bellwether is doing the work to help us understand how to look at outcomes, not output. Ed research is 🔥 . Thank you Michelle Croft, Amy Chen Kulesa, and Mary Wells.