Bellwether was a scrappy nonprofit startup when I joined as one of its early employees in 2010. Our primary communication channel was that era’s equivalent of a group chat: an email thread with everyone’s weekly professional and personal updates. While we’ve gone from six employees to more than 110 across the country, our North Star has never wavered. We still envision a future where all young people can live fulfilling lives in flourishing communities.
In those early days, we focused on shaping conversations about reforming education while honing our approach to tailored excellence in client services. As Bellwether grew, we got better at anticipating what worked (and what didn’t) and expanded our services in response to the greatest needs in the field while supporting the launch of several new organizations. We created an Evaluation team in 2015 to integrate our research expertise into programs’ existing planning and implementation efforts. In 2017, we created our Academic and Programming Strategy team and hired former school, network, and district leaders to help school systems achieve their instructional and operational goals. With more diverse staff, offerings, and expertise, we remain unwavering in our mission mindset and service to clients today.
I’m proud of what Bellwether has accomplished over the past 15 years. But this year’s distressing National Assessment of Educational Progress scores are just the latest reminder that we have so much more work to do — at a moment when schools face challenges ranging from declining enrollment to an uncertain federal policy landscape to the disruptive potential of artificial intelligence. We’re asking tough questions about how we can evolve to support the dramatic change this moment requires. To help mark Bellwether’s anniversary, we’ll be using our platform to explore this tension between celebrating bright spots from the last 15 years and tackling the significant challenges that remain.
Through conversations, blogs, and in-person events this year, we’ll look back on some of the work we’re most proud of — work that we plan on evolving and scaling as new trends and challenges emerge. We’ll cover the evolution of ed tech and how to navigate the rise of AI, what good governance in schools and communities looks like, implementation of everything from curriculum to adult behavior change, and so much more. We’ll feature the same kind of expert insights and findings you’ve come to rely on from Bellwether. To kick things off, we’re sharing what we’ve learned about high-quality instructional materials over the years and the best ways to support the educators who use them.
We’re excited to keep learning and growing into an even stronger organization over the next 15 years, and we’re grateful to you for being by our side. I’d love to hear from you along the way.
