Blog
Learning never stops.
The UPD team is constantly looking for ways to learn more about our industry and, by extension, improve the results we achieve for our clients. Our blog is where we share our latest thinking.
Data Governance Guidance & Tools
Thoughtful design and execution of a data governance practice can greatly streamline your organization’s data processes, improve alignment between technical and program staff, enhance data quality, and most importantly, reduce the frustration that comes from…
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Unlocking the Potential of High Quality Instructional Materials
UPD Consulting, in partnership with The School District of Palm Beach County and Pearson K12 Learning, is excited and humbled to have been awarded a Professional Learning Partnerships Initiative grant by the Bill & Melinda…
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The Importance of Data Governance for Your Ed-Fi Implementation
This fall a new cohort of education organizations around the country, including state education agencies, school districts, charter management organizations, and county education offices are initiating or expanding their Ed-Fi implementations. Through our years of…
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Implementing Early Childhood (PDG B-5) State Plans
As states receiving Preschool Development Grant (PDG B-5) funds from the US Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) complete their needs assessments and strategic plans, they should already be thinking about implementation. Proposals for…
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Teacher Preparation Data Model on the Road
I love maps. Maps present all the different possibilities to get from one point to another and provide the opportunity to chart your own course. My laminated, multi-fold map was my favorite companion in the…
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Our schools are not failing – they’ve been abandoned.
We all know that money alone won’t fix our urban education systems, but we also know that without appropriate resources, we can’t make the significant changes in systems, practices, and opportunities that students need to…
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From Post-Its to Pilot: The journey of the Teacher Preparation Data Project
We’ll begin this story in June of 2016, which marked the official start of the Teacher Preparation Data Project. Though even to get to this point, there were many early sources of inspiration, sketches on…
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Getting the Most Out of the Preschool Development Grant Opportunity
The new Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five (PDG B-5) put out by the US Department of Health and Human Services presents an exciting opportunity to get public sector planning right. The grant provides funds…
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Nowhere to turn(around)
I was invited to moderate a panel of turnaround experts at the Yale School of Management’s Education Leadership Conference on April 4th, and in prepping for the event I tried to think about what hasn’t been…
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Putting the “Drive” in “Data-Driven”
While Harvard Business Review’s latest article “Companies are Failing in Their Efforts to Become Data-Driven” focuses on investments in big data and artificial intelligence made by large corporations, we see the same issues at play…
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