© Education Resource Strategies, Inc., 2017
Education Resource
Strategies
Webinar, February 15, 2017

Agenda
 Welcome and Panelist Introductions
 ERS and Our Work
 Q&A
1

Introductions – Moderator
Jessica Fick, Senior Talent & HR Lead
Former Senior Associate Consultant with
AchieveMission and National Manager of
Civic Engagement with Citizen
Schools; MPA, Emphasis: Nonprofit and
Public Sector Management from Rutgers
University
2

Introductions – Panelists
Nisha Garg, Principal Associate
Former Ed Pioneers fellow and ESL/Math teacher in Charlotte-
Mecklenburg Schools; B.A. in Economics, minor in Spanish and Latin
American Cultures from Barnard College
3
Sara Nelson, Associate
Teach For America alum and former 6th grade teacher at Perspectives
Charter Schools in Chicago; B.A., Economics and International Studies
from Johns Hopkins University
Jess O'Connor, Associate
Ed Pioneers Graduate School Fellow and former Associate Director of
Operations at Blackstone Valley Prep Mayoral Academies; M.A., Urban
Education Policy from Brown University

Our mission
4
ERS is a non-profit organization
dedicated to transforming how urban
school systems organize resources
(people, time, technology, and money)
so that every school succeeds
for every student.

Los Angeles
Oakland
Saint
Paul
Chicago
Cincinnati
Atlanta
Philadelphia New York City
Syracuse
Rochester Providence
Baltimore City
Charlotte-Mecklenburg
Duval
County
Boston
Georgia Districts
Fulton County
Hall County
Marietta City
Treutlen County
Vidalia City
Cleveland
Austin
Albuquerque
Michigan
Tennessee
Aldine
Newark, NJSacramento
District work
Current partner
State work
Knox County
Lake County
Indianapolis
Nashville
Georgia
Santa Fe
New Haven, CT
California
New York
Tulsa
Palm Beach County
Connecticut Special Projects
Waterbury Public Schools
Bridgeport Public Schools
Hamden Public Schools
Windham Public Schools
Prince George’s County, MD
District of Columbia
Memphis
Holyoke, MA
For over 10 years, we’ve worked closely with the nation’s largest
school systems and a few states to improve resource use

Oakland Unified School District (OUSD)
What did we do?
 “Typical” Resource Map, focusing on:
 Spending at central office vs. school
 Funding equity across the district (by school level and
school demographics)
 How resources play out at the school level (school design)
Impact:
 OUSD leveraged ERS’ analysis in determining priority
areas and protecting resources at the school level for the
17-18 budgeting cycle this year.
 In a continued partnership with OUSD, we are supporting
over half of the high schools in OUSD as they alter their
school schedules to ensure students have sufficient
opportunities to obtain the credits needed to graduate.
6
OUSD serves 37,000
students in the Bay
Area, of which 73%
qualify for free and
reduced price lunch,
and 30% are English
language learners.

Indianapolis Public Schools - Student-Based
Budgeting
7
What did we do?
 Financial Analysis portion of Resource Map
 Support for transition to Student-Based Allocations (SBA)
 Strategic School Design cohort work
Impact:
 IPS leveraged ERS’ analysis to think more strategically
about their portfolio decisions.
 In a continued partnership with IPS, we are helping
implement the training and processes needed for full
operation of the new funding formula.
 In addition to supporting roll out of SBA, ERS continues to
work closely with schools and school supervisors to help
leaders understand new flexibilities and design more
effective schools.
Indianapolis Public
Schools (IPS) serves
about 30,000 students,
three quarters of whom
qualify for free-and-
reduced-price lunch.

Boston Public Schools – School Design
 What did we do?
 Under an Extended Learning Time (ELT) initiative through
the mayor’s office, 61 elementary and middle schools
added 40 minutes to their school day
 ERS worked with the ELT office in BPS to create a
professional development sequence to support all schools
through a strategic planning process
 ERS also led a cohort of 9 schools through an intensive
planning process
 Impact
 Developed “bright spot” studies to highlight schools in the
first cohort who achieved strategic resource shifts that
better supported student learning and needs
 Continued the work in this year with an additional 6 cohort
schools and 40 new extended-time schools
8
Boston Public Schools
(BPS) serves about
58,000 students, where
nearly half of the
students speak a
language other than
English, and half are
economically
disadvantaged

Frequently Asked
Candidate Questions

What is the difference between roles?
10
Title Requirements Key Responsibilities
Associate  Bachelor’s Degree
Required, Master’s degree
(MBA, MPP, MPA, or
Education) preferred
 2-3 years of professional
experience.
 Conducting data analysis
 Collaborating with case teams and
district partners to generate insights
from analysis
 Developing and presenting final work
products and reports
Principal
Associate
 3-5 years of experience in
strategic consulting,
quantitative analysis, or
comparable field
 Master’s degree (MBA,
MPP, MPA, or Education)
preferred
 Leading data analysis; supervising
associates and analysts
 Leading process to generate insights
from data analysis
 Owning relationships with key district
leaders; developing and presenting
client presentations and reports

How would I be supported at ERS?
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Buddy!
Goals &
Development
Coach
Project
Supervisor
HR
(aka Jess Fick)
Project
Team
Core
Services

What does a typical day look like at ERS?
 There is no “typical” day, but at ERS you will spend your time
doing a mix of:
 Independent work time
 1:1 check-ins with project supervisors
 Project team meetings
 Client meetings
 Training sessions
 Internal Organizational Initiatives
 Travel
12

How would you describe the culture at ERS?
We have many structures
in place in support of our
culture, such as:
 ERS Core Values
 ERS lunches
 TGIF Innovation days
 Diversity, Equity, &
Inclusion Committee
 ERS annual retreat
 ERS annual slow cook-off
13

How does the interview process work?
 Phone Screen
 Analytical Phone Interview (analytical job simulation)
 In-person Interview
 Case Interview
 Presentation
 Behavioral Fit Interviews
14

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