Frequently Asked Questions About Bellwether Education Partners
Who is Bellwether Education Partners?
Bellwether is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping education entities—in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors—become more effective in their work. Bellwether works with those committed to dramatic educational change in an effort to serve all students better, especially low-income students. We particularly value innovative and entrepreneurial approaches to solving education problems.
What does Bellwether Education do?
Bellwether helps our clients better meet their challenges through three primary areas of work. Bellwether’s thought leadership team analyzes timely issues in education reform that are being debated within the field, as well as emerging issues we see on the horizon. These publications often challenge conventional wisdom. We also undertake research and policy analysis for our clients and help them better understand the education policy landscape.
Through our strategy consulting services we partner with clients to design the best strategies to accomplish their goals, given their capabilities and context. The pragmatic, on-the-ground reality we encounter through our strategy practice
enriches, informs, and grounds the research and analysis of our thought leadership group. Likewise the innovative thinking and research from our thought leadership work enables our strategy consulting team to lead the field in creativity, problem solving, and strength of analysis.
We also provide talent services to clients, because who is on a team, how it is structured, and how decisions are made are often as important as having a strong strategy. Our talent work includes executive search, recruitment consulting, organizational development, and coaching activities.
Does everyone at Bellwether agree on educational reforms?
One of Bellwether’s greatest strengths is that diversity of viewpoint is encouraged among the partner team and throughout the organization. Everyone at Bellwether is committed to dramatic improvements in our public education system, but internally there are different views about how to accomplish that work. We believe that challenging ideas and analysis, an evidence-based culture, and respect for competing theories of action is part of what makes Bellwether highly effective.
What doesn’t Bellwether do?
Bellwether is strictly not a lobbying or public relations organization. We believe that “representing” clients in the media or before government agencies is incompatible with how we approach our overall work.
Who is on your team?
Bellwether brings together a team of more than 20 outstanding professionals who collectively have decades of hands-on leadership experience in education. Our team combines leaders with experience in the highest levels of state and federal education policy, founders of organizations, early stage and scale-up senior executives, accomplished strategy consultants, executive search and human resources professionals, and organizational development experts.
Who funds Bellwether?
Bellwether undertakes fee-for-service work and receives grants from foundations.
Why is Bellwether a nonprofit?
Bellwether’s founders sought to create an organization that was sustainable but could also undertake activities that could not be monetized yet help improve the education sector. A blend of service offerings and grants allows us to work toward this goal and stay focused on our underlying mission. As a practical matter, this means that Bellwether is governed by a volunteer board of directors and that no partners or employees of Bellwether have an equity or ownership stake in the organization.