Stewarding Biodiversity and Food Security in The Coral Triangle: Achievements, Challenges, and Lessons Learned

The management team of the US Agency for International Development (USAID)- supported Coral Triangle Support Partnership (CTSP) commissioned this report to take a qualitative look at the achievements, challenges, and lessons learned from investment in CTSP. CTSP is part of a broader USAID investment supporting the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries, and Food Security (CTI-CFF), a six-nation effort to sustain vital marine and coastal resources in the Coral Triangle located in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific

Closing the Achievement Gap: Getting to Results

Outlines Casey's framework for measuring program results in terms of direct impact; influence on opinion, practice, or policy; and leverage to increase public and private investment in the program. Includes lessons learned and selected results

Closing the Achievement Gap: Strategic Funding Attracts Co-Investment

Outlines Casey's early investment in the Indianapolis mayor's charter initiative as part of an effort to support innovative but as yet unproven programs, seed results, and attract co-investment. Describes the impact of program-related investments

Closing the Achievement Gap: The Anatomy of Influence

Looks at Casey's efforts to influence the education policy environment by gathering evidence of proven and promising practices, engaging target audiences, and delivering accessible messages. Profiles influence tools that have led to concrete results

Closing the Achievement Gap: Technical Assistance to Schools and School Support Organizations

Describes Casey's investment in technical assistance and tools and training development to improve capacity and achievement at public and private schools. Includes grantee profiles, core activities supported, results, challenges, and lessons learned

Closing the Achievement Gap: Creating Quality Choices: Vouchers

Outlines Casey's investment in the District of Columbia's voucher program, as well as results, lessons learned, and suggestions for improving legislation. Includes profiles of Casey-supported efforts to improve programs in Florida and Wisconsin

Closing the Achievement Gap: Creating Quality Choices: District Schools

Highlights Casey's multi-year investment in an Atlanta school district, and examines contributing factors to improvements at one middle school in particular. Includes summaries of Casey's support for district improvement in Oakland and Philadelphia

Closing the Achievement Gap: Creating Quality Choices: Charters

Provides an overview of Casey's investments in charter schools, lessons learned, and challenges in securing funding, facilities, and teacher supply. Presents selected results such as higher reading and math scores and profiles of successful schools

Closing the Achievement Gap: Creating Quality Choices: School, Family, Community Connections

Highlights Casey's support for community schools -- public schools enhanced by partnerships with organizations that provide programs for the entire community in low-income neighborhoods. Includes profiles of successful schools and lessons learned

Getting to Results: A Tool and Lessons from the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s K-12 Education Portfolio

· In 2002, the Annie E. Casey Foundation adopted a results-based accountability (RBA) framework to track and report on the results of their philanthropic investments. · The RBA tool was piloted in a few program areas, including its K-12 education portfolio. · Grantees were highly engaged in an iterative process to determine appropriate measures, refine the theory of change, and how to track progress. · Overall, the RBA tool enabled staff to get a sense of how grantees were doing and therefore how the foundation was doing in a way that hadn’t been possible before. · The K-12 program got a much clearer sense of what it wanted to achieve in its program area and a deeper understanding of how individual grantee work contributed to the foundation’s overall goals. · Lessons learned about implementing the RBA include the importance of grantee involvement, accepting that not every project will achieve every goal, and the importance of a communications strategy