Our Clients

Conducting a supply and demand study for afterschool and summer programming in Reading, Pennsylvania. The study will inform future investments in afterschool programs.

Helped develop resources to support districts and other organizations seeking to expand learning time. This work involved identifying financing models for expanded learning time, documenting successful financing strategies that could be replicated in other places, and providing technical assistance to states and localities seeking to sustain expanded learning programs and policies. Also provided technical assistance to five states that were working to better align after school and early care activities. Finally, wrote Dollars and Sense: A First Look at Financing a New Day for Learning, a paper on financing strategies for expanded learning.

Explored strategies for financing a longer school day in Oakland, California and Elizabeth, New Jersey. In Elizabeth, also provided support to the superintendent and her cabinet to explore budget options to direct additional expenditures toward key priorities, including expanded learning.

Provided support for six district grantees to deepen and sustain their work in support of family, school and community partnerships. As part of this work, coached each district through the development of a long-term budget and a set of strategies to increase funding for successful partnerships through resource reallocation and the identification of additional public and private funds. Also, developed a policy scan of expanded learning in the state of Connecticut.

Provided support to the Foundation’s leadership team as they implemented their District Level Systems Change initiative, which creates opportunities to expand student-centered learning approaches. This included supporting the foundation in selecting grantees and working with grantees to develop sustainability strategies for continuing their work as grant funding sunset. Also reviewed proposals for a new cohort of grantees to assess the potential for long-term sustainability of student-centered learning approaches.

Developed the Playbook for Redesigning Schools for the 21st Century based on lessons learned by San Jose Unified School District’s efforts to redesign a handful of schools starting in 2012. The Playbook guides district and school leaders through the process of developing a clear and coherent vision for change and then designing and managing that change.

Supported a multi-year project to provide technical assistance on governance, finance and sustainability to the Wallace Foundation’s Next Generation After School Systems Building Initiative. Supported nine cities as they strengthened their afterschool infrastructure, implemented quality enhancements and expanded OST programming. Also, developed an assessment framework and process for identifying and strengthening alignment with the Common Core State Standards for members of the Expanded Learning Opportunities Professional Learning Community.

Worked with the Arkansas Department of Education and a consortium of six Arkansas districts to improve the use of data and technology in fostering whole-system improvement. Our firm conducted an evaluation of district and state implementation of and satisfaction with the statewide data system and provided recommendations to all stakeholders for improvements, including how to use data more effectively to inform the teaching and learning process.

Helped the board craft a five-year strategic plan based on proven education models and influenced by FourPoint’s recommendations on program and technology improvements, financial modeling, and facilities planning. FourPoint also facilitated a planning process and developed plan drafts for stakeholder input and approval.

Worked with the district’s principal supervisors to develop a principal pipeline strategy.

Conducted a review of the extent to which the district is leveraging its principal supervisors to improve teaching and learning. Providing coaching to principal supervisors to develop instructional leadership of principals.

Supported the district’s efforts to design and implement a new approach for principal recruitment and screening. Also, developed a vacancy model to help the district anticipate principal openings.

Worked with OSSE to establish a Learning Network for DC’s 28 lowest-performing district and charter schools. Using this model, FourPoint provided coaching and support, helping Learning Network principals achieve growth rates that – on average – outpaced those of most other schools. Working with OSSE to evaluate professional development offerings, develop and provide new offerings that address gaps, provide follow-up coaching to participating schools, and evaluate the effectiveness of the PD and coaching.

Developed a multi-year school readiness strategic plan with Fairfax County’s Office for Children and the County’s School Readiness Community Collaborative Council. The plan will allow the County and its partners to build on their efforts to ensure that families can access a network of high-quality early-learning programs and related supports.

Conducted a comprehensive review of the district’s systems and instructional practices and facilitated the development of a five-year strategic plan. Then supported the district to identify implementation priorities, build the capacity of central office and school leaders to execute them, use data to manage school and district performance, and restructure the teaching and learning department to better align with strategic priorities.

Monitored implementation of reforms intended to safeguard children from abuse and neglect. Facilitating the development of a comprehensive strategic plan, putting in place performance management systems and structures, and coaching district administrators.

Worked with HIDOE to create its principal supervisor development and supervision model. As part of this work, helped HIDOE strengthen its leader recruitment and development strategies and improve the design of its principal preparation curriculum.

In partnership with iResult, facilitating data-driven Networked Improvement Communities for leaders of schools designated as needing Comprehensive School Improvement. The aim of the NIC is to leverage leaders’ collective experiences to help each school make substantial gains in student learning.

Supported the district in developing a robust principal pipeline strategy and related screening and selection processes. Facilitated design sessions to develop a set of core principal competencies that serve as the foundation for all strategic talent management efforts aimed at ensuring an effective principal is at the helm of every school. Also, developed a vacancy model to help the district anticipate principal openings.

Conducted a comprehensive review of the district’s systems and practices and then facilitated the development of a new five-year strategic plan.

Conducted a review to assess the extent to which it is leveraging principal supervisors to improve teaching and learning.

Partnered with KSDE to rethink the state’s approach to raising achievement and closing gaps in student learning, ultimately developing a Kansas Learning Network for the state’s lowest-performing schools and districts. For four years, worked with identified districts to review systems and practices, provide coaching and support, and convene leaders for shared learning. Evaluations of the Learning Network found that the model was highly valued by administrators and made a significant impact on student achievement in participating schools and districts.

Trained staff on using our research-based classroom-walkthrough model and participated in a program review of a juvenile facility to determine educational needs and to make recommendations for improvements. Later, conducted a review of special education services being provided by the county to schools and local districts.

Worked with 168 charter schools in LAUSD to examine the extent to which supports and services for students with special needs were in place, and whether those services were high quality, effective, and research based. Gaps in services were addressed by developing and implementing programs to serve a more comprehensive population of students with disabilities.

Helped the district’s board of education develop a tool and process to evaluate the superintendent as well as conduct an assessment of its own effectiveness.

Christopher Cross served as the senior advisor to the Nevada Education Reform Blue Ribbon Task Force appointed by Gov. Jim Gibbons in 2011. The work of that group led to the enactment of a set of reforms proposed by Gov. Brian Sandoval and enacted in 2013 and 2015. In addition, Cross served for several years as the counsel to the Nevada Council for Academic Standards.

Conducted a comprehensive needs assessment of the school district and facilitated the development of a new five-year strategic plan. Also supported the assessment of the district’s human capital work and the development and implementation of a new principal pipeline strategy. Assisted the Superintendent in developing and then implementing a new role within OPS to support principals. Provide coaching and support to the principal supervisors.

Scott Joftus was the founding director of the Race to the Top Technical Assistance Network - an effort by the Obama Administration to support Race to the Top grantees in implementing Race to the Top reforms and achieving dramatic improvements in student outcomes. To achieve this goal, the Network was designed to be demand-driven and flexible to support multiple state and federal objectives, and adapted over time to ensure ongoing quality and relevance of services and resources.

Conducted a review to assess the extent to which it is leveraging principal supervisors to improve teaching and learning.

As part of the master planning process, conducted a facilities study to ascertain the scope, nature, and needs of early learning facilities in the county and make recommendations to the planning council regarding the need for improvements or expansions of early learning facilities and child care.

Supported the transition of district schools into community schools to reduce students’ barriers to learning and fully meet their needs. To meet this objective, conducted a comprehensive analysis of student needs, school offerings, district and community resources, and the district’s strategic priorities, and then facilitated the development of a plan to provide students and their families with integrated services that will enable them to meet high academic standards.

Working with the district and school board to gather and analyze data and community input to inform the development of a strategic plan for high school students.

Conducted a review to assess the extent to which it is leveraging principal supervisors to improve teaching and learning. Worked with principal supervisors and principals to support their development as instructional leaders. This included developing a curricular framework, identifying and providing professional development opportunities, and providing regular coaching to support successful implementation by leaders and teachers across the district. Provide coaching to the superintendent.

Conducted a study of state-level educational governance for the state legislature. Focused on the relationship between the allocation of responsibilities and accountabilities and engaged stakeholders across the state in discussions of organizational structures that will enable strong leadership, clear guidance, and effective, timely support to schools and districts.

Gave ongoing guidance and feedback to Hillsborough County Public Schools and Jefferson Parish Public Schools teams developing Race to the Top-District (RTT-D) applications. Participated in an initial meeting to support these and other superintendents in their early application designs.

Partnered in the design, facilitation, and direction of the Senior Congressional Education Staff project, a series of seminars and meetings intended to increase understanding of education policy issues among key congressional staff members that was run for 13 years.

Developed links between major California school districts and companies that support high-quality programs in the STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering and math), with the specific objective of increasing the numbers of women and other underrepresented groups in these disciplines.

Provided support to CIS to help them better understand the challenges and opportunities in the current financing climate to support sustainability of current affiliates and further expansion of their model. This involved identifying financing issues affecting current affiliates and analyzing the implications of these issues for CIS’ plans to expand to new states and districts; identifying promising financing strategies that CIS affiliates can adapt and replicate; and building a forecasting model that the national office and its board will use to assess opportunities for growth and expansion over the next decade. Also, developed a set of budgeting principles and corresponding budgeting tools for CIS affiliates to use to improve financial practices and support. Finally, supported the national office in developing and updating costs estimates for CIS services and for exploring market opportunities exploring opportunities for expanding their impact.

Worked with the CEO to develop a strategic plan to enhance the role of education commissioners and helped implement a long-term strategy that collectively engages state policymakers in leading education transformation.

Helped to redesign the organization's after-school Math and ELA curriculum for 5th-8th grades to align with the Common Core State Standards and provided training to staff on how to deliver the new curriculum.

Developed a plan for a partnership of the district, city agencies and non-profits to expand and sustain afterschool programming in the city.

Conducted research to develop six finance profiles of expanded learning schools that focused on how schools/districts are financing their longer days. Produced a summary that looks at findings across the six schools.

Authored a series of policy briefs to help mayors mobilize resources to support expanded learning opportunities.

Developed a plan for creating a new afterschool network to improve access to quality program across the city. The work built on a landscape review and input from numerous community groups collected by FourPoint.

Provided tactical guidance on budgeting and sustainability to help position PASA to take advantage of new funding opportunities moving forward. This work was part of a larger three-year strategic planning process.

Christopher Cross serves as a key adviser to SYTE on matters of strategy. FourPoint also produced a video that demonstrates the power of the SYTE model in substantially increasing post-secondary completion for graduates of Syracuse public schools. In addition, Gene Maeroff, former national education correspondent for the New York Times, wrote a book documenting SYTE work in Syracuse.

Supported staff in developing strategies and resources for the organization’s new education initiatives focused on older children and youth with an emphasis on dropout reduction. This involved collecting and analyzing data on current activities and capacities of local United Ways and developing strategies to expand this work over the next five years. Also developed and implemented a strategic plan for linking schools and community partners to expand learning from preschool through college.