As evaluation and improvement experts, we recognize that improving institutions is all about helping its learners, teachers, and leaders achieve meaningful progress. In every facet of our work, we dedicate our efforts, expertise, and experience to help an institution pursue and realize desired areas of improvement. A focus on evaluation and improvement is imperative. Improvement without evaluation is guesswork, and evaluation without improvement is a waste of time and energy. However, evaluation for improvement can move an institution toward its vision for teaching and learning. The pursuit of improvement is a learning journey and unique in every circumstance but can be achieved.

But where do institutions begin? It begins with leadership. Leaders want to improve their institutions. They want their teachers to grow and be at their best; they want their learners to grow and learn at their best; and they want to grow and lead at their best. Most of all, leaders want to create, nurture, and grow a culture of success. We help leaders evaluate where they are and where they want to be on their improvement journey. We help institutions sort through the challenges and chart a path to success.

To aid leaders on this journey, they have at their disposal resources and tools, professional learning, collaborative networks, and practitioner-based guidance. The Source is one of those resources, with practitioner-based guidance that speaks directly to teachers and leaders.

In this edition, read about:

The most arduous challenge in education is to improve a school, any school. However, every school can be better tomorrow than it was yesterday. Together, we can meet this challenge.

Private: Mark A. Elgart, Ed.D.
Dr. Mark A. Elgart has served as president and CEO of Cognia since 2002. Under his leadership Cognia was established, following the merger of AdvancED and Measured Progress, to bridge the gap between school evaluation and student assessment.  Cognia serves as the trusted partner with over 36,000 institutions in 85 countries to advance learning for 25 million students.  Elgart has a long, distinguished career of 40 years as an educational leader including time as a math and physics teacher, school principal, and chief executive leading a global, education non-profit.  He is annually recognized, both locally and internationally, as an influential leader in education due to his impact on education policy and the work of schools.  He is an internationally recognized speaker on education and frequent author on educational issues including recent whitepapers on federal policy and school improvement.  In education, Elgart is widely viewed as the foremost authority on school improvement and education quality.  Elgart earned a bachelor’s  in Mathematics from Springfield College, a master’s in Educational Administration from Westfield State College, and Doctorate in Education in Leadership in Schooling from the University of Massachusetts.

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