ERS Clients & Partners
For more than a decade, ERS has worked with leaders of public school systems and schools to better understand the resources they have—time, money and talent—and to help them organize these resources to better match system-wide and school-level learning goals.
Read more about our approach to working with clients.
We have worked in school systems and with clients throughout the country, including:
Examples of ERS's work with school systems and partners:
Albuquerque Public Schools (1999-2001)
ERS supported Albuquerque Public Schools leaders in identifying district and school level resources for intensive professional development, district and school redesign, and ultimately higher student performance.
Baltimore City Public School System (BCPSS) (2003-2005)
Since 2003, ERS has worked with district and school leaders in Baltimore in a variety of practice areas to redesign the district’s professional development strategy, analyze the benefits and costs of converting its large, comprehensive high schools into smaller schools, determine the right mix and level of resources for students in each of BCPSS’s schools, and analyze and improve the use of resources at the school level.
The Boston Public Schools (On-going since 1999)
Since 1999 with funding and support from the Boston Plan For Excellence and the Annenberg Foundation , ERS has worked closely with the Boston Public Schools in the areas of strategic professional development. Through the Gates Small Schools Project case studies of small, high performing high schools ERS is also helping Boston identify important ways to effectively use resources and provide support for improved instruction and performance at the school level.
Chicago Public Schools (2001-2002, present)
ERS is currently supporting CPS in its efforts to redesign its high schools and open a large number of small schools that organize time, staff, and dollars in ways that are linked to improved student performance. In the past, ERS has worked with Chicago to organize a more focused, measurable Professional Development system.
Cincinnati Public Schools (1997-2000, present)
ERS has worked with Cincinnati Public Schools leadership to provide a comprehensive review of CPS's professional development and school support spending and activities in order to create a five-year professional development strategy. ERS has also participated in action teams around coaching, principal support and Whole School Improvement, helping to draft performance rubrics tied to standards for improving student performance.
Los Angeles United School District (LAUSD) (2002-2004, 2006)
Since 2002 ERS has worked with Los Angeles around the effective use of resources: building leadership capacity in budgeting, helping to implement new school designs for increased time on literacy, and introducing a weighted student funding system to improve flexibility and equity in school level resources. With the joint support of LAUSD leadership and the teacher’s union, ERS is currently examining spending at both the central and school level in an effort to maximize available resources.
New York City Public Schools (2004-2005)
ERS helped New York City School District leaders rethink the role of Human Resources in supporting a comprehensive system of professional development.
Providence Public Schools (2002-2004)
In order to support Providence's initiatives for improved instruction and student performance, ERS helped Providence’s leadership team uncover and redirect resources through a strategic review of the PPS budget and detailed case studies of school-level resources. The development of software tools and principal training has resulted in improved management of school-level resources and a revised budget and school plan review process to better meet academic needs.
Rochester City School District (2004-present)
As part of the work of a Blue Ribbon Panel, ERS has helped Rochester district leaders examine RCSD's use of resources and identify opportunities for improvement to help meet ambitious goals for student performance.
St. Paul (2006)
ERS has recently begun work with St. Paul to understand
current resource allocation by program, student type, and functional
area and review the schools’ use of time, people, and dollars
in the context of research-based ways of improving performance Washington,
DC School District (2005-present) Amidst enormous budget
pressure and a charter school movement, ERS has analyzed DC’s
current allocation of funds to determine what is appropriate and
equitable down to the school, program, and student level. In
addition, ERS has helped DCSD to determine the best uses for time,
people, and dollars for improving student performance.
ERS has collaborated extensively with other educational reformers and
non-profit organizations, working closely with the following groups and
a number of other foundations and organizations: The Gates Small Schools Project (2005-2008) With funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,
ERS is investigating the potential benefits, practices, organizational
structures, and costs of small, high-performing high schools. Included
are case studies from nine small high schools in several urban areas. The
case studies will identify the programmatic strengths, funding, contractual
obligations, staffing and other resource allocation decisions that combine
to create high-performing school environments.