Accelerating Student Achievement Through Strategy Execution

"Improving student achievement takes more than just good ideas. It takes good execution. Ascendant Strategy Management Group, a social and public sector consultancy based in Boston, Massachusetts, is helping leading schools across the country integrate their strategy and operations for breakthrough results."

Boston, MA, Jan, 19, 2010 -- Ascendant Strategy Management Group, a social and public sector consultancy based in Boston, Massachusetts, is helping forward thinking schools across the country embrace the push for greater accountability and transparency in the education system. By partnering with schools to develop measurement and management systems that go beyond mandated reporting and allow insight into strategy execution, Ascendant is helping accelerate student achievement.

Uncommon Schools, a charter management organization based in New York City, is a nonprofit that starts and manages outstanding urban charter public schools that close the achievement gap and prepare low-income students to graduate from college. Currently operating 16 schools in Newark, NJ, New York City, and Upstate New York, the organization is in the midst of an ambitious plan to grow to 33 charter schools that all drive breakthrough results with students.

“With a college preparatory mission, high standards, a structured learning environment, more time, a data-driven culture, and tremendously talented and committed leaders and teachers, we’ve developed a school model that has proven successful in closing the achievement gap,” says Chief Executive Officer Evan Rudall. “We feel a strong sense of urgency to expand this model to serve thousands of more students. In order to do so, we must create and align our systems to overcome key challenges, including teacher recruitment, facilities financing, and philanthropy.

Beginning in 2009, Ascendant has partnered with Uncommon Schools to help develop a measurement and management system that aligns the schools and home office functions to the strategy. “As we look towards a long-term plan to scale our model and demonstrate our sustainability on the public dollar, we are grateful to have Ascendant’s external expertise in aligning our work and priorities with achieving our goals,” says Josh Phillips, Chief Operating Officer of Uncommon Schools. “In three months, Ascendant has helped Uncommon align its strategic objectives in a straightforward, understandable fashion. We now feel better equipped to make data-driven decisions that we know will drive results.”

Ascendant's education practice, led by Ted Jackson, is leveraging its education experience across a variety of school districts, charter management organizations, and education exchange organizations to demonstrate how to leverage management capabilities to drive student achievement results. "Across the sector, everyone has the same goal: Improving the educational outcomes of our children. At Ascendant, we're honored to be working with forward thinking organizations that are committed to turning their theories into results."

About Ascendant Strategy Management Group

Ascendant Strategy Management Group helps nonprofits, agencies, and associations manage strategy, collaborate with stakeholders, and build communities around their strategy execution efforts. We offer Balanced Scorecard and performance management coaching, training, facilitation, software, and consulting to help organizations accelerate mission results. For more information, visit Ascendant online at http://www.ascendantsmg.com

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