Central to the RISE Network’s mission is creating a platform for educators to come together across schools and districts to pursue shared goals, including proactively identifying ways to better meet the needs of students and educators. As our cross-school collaborations continue to support meaningful learning and impactful innovations, we endeavor to share learnings and resources locally and nationwide. Over the years, we have benefited from opportunities to learn from other organizations across the country, and given our commitment to democratizing innovations, we are eager to share what we are learning with educators engaged in similar work in different contexts.
The GRAD Partnership
Recently, RISE joined The GRAD Partnership – which partners with communities to use high-quality student success systems so that schools are empowered to graduate all students ready for the future – to present a webinar to a community of practice across the country. RISE Executive Director Emily Pallin provided an overview of RISE and our student success framework. Deputy Director for Freshman Success Nichelle Woodson explained how success systems play out in our on-track work, breaking down our strategies around Grade 9 teams, processes, and data use. Deputy Director for Postsecondary Success Sherry McLaughlin continued with a deep dive into our work promoting postsecondary access and helping all students complete the milestones necessary to make their college and career plans a reality. Following the webinar, the recording and multiple RISE resources were made available to all participants and on The GRAD Partnership website.
Following the webinar, 100 percent percent of participants surveyed agreed that what they learned will help them better implement and improve their student success systems. “The session with RISE was a master course in designing a high-quality network that does all of the things we want networked improvement to do – create environments where educators feel a sense of agency and move the needle for students,” says Kelly McMahon, Senior Associate, Evidence & Analytics for the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. “I am grateful for RISE’s generosity in helping the field learn to get better together.”
The Carnegie Summit
Later this month, the RISE team will connect with a national community of “improvers” at the Carnegie Foundation Summit on Improvement in Education as they give a presentation on “Using Data to Pinpoint Inequities and Drive Improvements.” The Carnegie Summit, now in its tenth year, aims to propel and support a future in which equity-focused continuous improvement occurs every day in thousands of educational settings. RISE’s session will lead participants in exploring how to facilitate networked improvement by honing in on high-leverage data with an eye toward equity. The RISE team will share experiences and tools to support others in pursuit of their north-star and equity-centered student outcome goals.
The Gates Foundation NSI
RISE is proud to be one of the networks for school improvement (NSI) in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s national NSI portfolio. Over the past several years, RISE has benefited from opportunities to learn with and from other NSIs across the country using the networked approach to advance student outcomes across multiple schools and districts. This June, the RISE team looks forward to leading an immersive session with NSI partners around strategies to facilitate equitable and data-driven networks. RISE will share tools and protocols, and engage partners in dialogue around how to center network collaboration in evidence and the individual strengths and needs of our students.
“In looking at the growth of our organization over the past few years, it’s the support from Gates, and the opportunities to share, learn, and grow alongside other organizations at conferences like the Carnegie Summit, that have inspired and propelled us to where we are at today,” says Peter Lorinser, RISE Engagement Manager. “It’s an exciting time, and we are grateful to have the platform and opportunity to contribute to this important field of work.”
RISE Resources Portal
Just as we share innovations and learning within and across the RISE Network, we are also committed to sharing actionable ideas and tools with educators in an open-source way to enhance our collective impact. The RISE Network Resources Portal is meant to support the efforts of administrators, educators, and families in improving student engagement, learning, and achievement in their communities. Visit our Resources Portal and learn more!